The Brighter Side of Death
by Hell Harpie
Summary: Now that Anna has escaped from Castle Dracula as Dracula's ex bride, can she handle existing as a vampire? Will she return Van Helsing's advances, or will her own shortcomings sabatoge their relationship? I don't suck at writing summaries! Read & review!
1. The Turning

**Author's Note: **

Premise:  
Anna did not die of smush at the end of Van Helsing. Dracula didn't die because of some sort of complication. Marishka is still dead, but apparently Verona and Aleera are still around. Carl is back at the Vatican, but Frankenstein did manage to escape. Anna and Van Helsing go to another ball of Dracula's, to try and vanquish the Dracula family, but Vlad's never-ending lust gets in the way...

This part I did not write alone. I wrote it with my friend Countess Verona Dracula. Type in that name in the search box to find some awesome stories. I _know _the parts she writes are better than mine, but she's being doing this longer, so gimme a break.

This fanfiction was written through various emails. Those from 'Anna' are written by me. Those from 'Arwen' are written by her. My character is Anna Valerious. Hers is Verona Dracula. We swich POV's throughout the story and sometimes use second person when reffering to each other.

If any of you care to know who Analiese is, she is a character from Countess Verona's fanfiction, Ripples in Time. You should check it out.

I am posting this here because I want to. I don't give a damn if you like it or hate it, but its here for ya. If you have any criticism, I don't wanna hear it. But questions and comments of good or neutral value will be answered to.

I will post more if general response is positive. It would probably be easier to copy all of this into a Word Document or something and read it there. . Enjoy!

P.S. The formatting on this document manager is not cooperative. Each section is supposed to have little asterisks at each end (to symbolize action, you know? Like in emails, if you want to smile, you put: (asterisk) grin (asterisk)? I can't actually put the little stars, but hopefully you get the idea) but the document manager deletes them every time I save changes. Oh well. You can all pretend.

* * *

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:50 AM  
**Subject:** The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I grab up my skirts in one hand and push open one of the giant double doors with my other gloved hand. Van Helsing follows me into the hall, dressed in some brown outfit similar to the clothes he wore last time to one of Dracula's parties.  
The silver stake hidden underneath my skirts pokes me uncomfortably, but I ignore it. Nothing will distract me from the plan. This plan will work. I know it will. Dracula will probably grab me and start dancing with me, which is what we are hoping for. This will distract Dracula long enough for Van Helsing to kill at least one of the brides. Knocking off his stupid air-headed brides will certainly make him easier to kill.  
My eyes widen in surprise as I realize that Velkan's duck, Verona's dog, Dracula, and his two remaining brides are the only ones at this stupid party, aside from the band. What? What is this?  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:31 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Why Anna, we're so happy you could make it." I smile at your shocked expression. "As you can see, so many of our other guests sent us their regrets."  
Aleera snickers at this, then whines as Dracula pulls away from her. "I say that now that our guests are here it is time to start the party! Won't you join me in the opening dance, Anna?"  
Van Helsing stiffens a bit at this, but does nothing.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:43 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

My heart pounds with terror. No, I would not like to dance with you. Ever. I give Van Helsing one last glare to make sure he takes care of a bride quickly and step forward. "Will it matter if I refuse?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:51 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"No." He smiles, stepping even closer.  
Without warning, Aleera and I are at Van Helsing's side. "Why don't you come dance with us, Van Helsing?" Aleera says, pulling him away from you and Dracula.  
"Yes. We love to dance." I smile, running my hands up his chest.  
Van Helsing jerks away and pulls out the stake he'd hidden, preparing to drive it down into my heart, but I bat it out of his hand with no more effort than if he were a child.  
"Did you really think it would work?" I whisper in his ear.  
As if on cue, the quartet starts playing and Dracula sweeps you into his arms.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I close my eyes, trying hard not to shriek in anger and frustration. We had discussed the danger of putting our plan into action to early. Damn him! I hear someone fall to the ground and someone clambering after the stake.  
Dracula, however, ignores the ordeal and whirls me around the empty dance floor while staring blatantly at my cleavage. My hatred of him increases and I stiffen, trying to catch a glimpse of him over Dracula's shoulder.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Van Helsing continues to try and fight Aleera and me off, to no avail. After dancing away from his blows, Aleera finally comes behind him and seizes his arms. I draw back my arm and punch him in the stomach, causing him to double over.  
"Pull him up," I hiss to Aleera. "The master wants him to watch."  
The quartet reaches a sustained note now, and Dracula slowly begins to dip you. You struggle at first, then make the mistake of looking him in the eye. You find your body complying slowly with his wishes as he opens his mouth, revealing his fangs, and leans in towards your exposed neck.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Stop! Stop! NO!" I shout, trying to make my arms move for the stake I have hidden somewhere. I didn't have to kill him, just stop him! Where is Van Helsing??  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Oh? Unwilling still?" Dracula says, bringing you up from the dip. He looks over your dress once more. "You look beautiful, Anna. Verona and Aleera have already made a dress for you, back at the castle." He leans in so that you're cheek to cheek and whispers in your ear. "We've already made up a bedroom for you."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:21 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Let go of me." I say, my stomach knotted with cold panic. "You are truly stupid if you wish to bring someone who hates you as I do to your own home." I try to wrench myself out of his grasp. I need that stake NOW. If the famous Van Helsing can evade every policeman in Europe, why can he not evade two simple-minded vampires??  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:35 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Stupid, or brilliant?" He asks, holding you tighter. "Keep your friends close... keep your enemies closer. And I assure you we will be very close. It isn't all bad to be a bride, Anna. My proud Anna."  
"I am not yours," You hiss.  
Meanwhile, Van Helsing has finally recovered from getting hit in the stomach and manages to break free from Aleera by kicking her in the gut. I bare my fangs and prepare to attack him but he pulls out a gun and shoots me. I scramble to dig the silver bullet out of my shoulder while Aleera flies at Van Helsing, her claws extended.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I see a pink blur in the corner of my eye and I hear Van Helsing grunt as he is knocked to the ground. Oh, sht. Why is he messing around?? "If you treasure your brides so much, then why do you not go to their aid??" I ask, desperate to get away from him.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"They can handle themselves." He says nonchalantly. He laughs a bit as Van Helsing manages to fling Aleera into one of the buffet tables that had been set up.  
While Aleera shrieks angrily and tries to escape the various foods now clinging to her, I leap onto Van Helsing once more and am about to claw him when Dracula hisses in my direction. I growl back and move away from Van Helsing, settling for circling him with my fangs and claws bared. He backs up as Aleera copies me, his hand on his gun, trying to decide who to shoot first.  
You take advantage of Dracula's momentary distraction and try to break free of his hold once more but he turns to face you with all the anger he'd shown me before.  
"This can be easy or painful, Anna. Test me at your own risk."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I almost make a frightened noise, but I turn my fear into anger. "I cannot wait to destroy you." I spit in his face. There. Now he has to let go of me to get saliva out of his eyes. A tiny, cowardly part of me regrets the spitting, but I ignore it.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Dracula laughs at this, and lets go of you with one hand to wipe away the spit. The other hand keeps you pressed firmly against him. "And I cannot wait until you scream my name with that same passion." He smiles, leaning in to kiss you cheek and then dragging his lips down to your neck and collarbone.  
You can hear Van Helsing's shout, but it comes from a distance. I take advantage of his distraction to backhand him, making sure one of the rings on my hand collides with his temple. In that moment when he's stunned, Aleera picks him up and flings him into the nearby wall. Cackling, she starts to stalk after him. I for my part look back at you, waiting to see if my master is finished yet.  
_How much longer?_ I ask through our link.  
_Let me have my fun._ He responds.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I am so insulted and scared that my thoughts begin pouring out of my mouth before I even know what they are, "I will NEVER become one of your whres! I would rather die than have you touch me!" I attempt to push him away, but my hands will only rest against him, refusing to do anymore. No, this can't be happening! Van Helsing and I should be running for out lives away from this place with two bloody stakes and the knowledge that now only Dracula must be killed! Jesus Christ, I need that stake!!!  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"But you're touching me now." Dracula smiles slowly against your skin. "Do you want to die now?" It's only then that you notice his fangs are out.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Panic wells up inside me again. Just hold him off until Van Helsing comes! He will come! "Why are you doing this?" I ask, mostly just to keep him talking.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 9:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Can't I just want you?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 9:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"No. Why do you want someone who completely loathes you?" I ask, trying hopelessly to see around him. I hear another gunshot and someone wails. Can he just shoot Dracula so I can get the hell away from him???  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 9:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Because there are fates worse than death." He lets you feel the press of his fangs against your throat.  
Van Helsing has pulled out his shuriken at this point, and as Aleera and I back away from him I roar to Dracula. _Do it now! We don't have time!_  
"Anna!" He shouts, dropping one shuriken so he can throw the stake at Dracula, driving it deep into his shoulder.  
Dracula snarls and, stunned by the pain, sinks his fangs into your throat.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:04 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I gasp, my mind screaming as my vision and hearing quickly begin to fade. No! I won't go like this! The strange sensation of the life being drawn out of me forbids me from thinking. I can feel my heart beating rapidly, almost as if it will explode. Thoughts and memories whirl in front of my eyes, to fast to be deciphered, then suddenly...there is nothing...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Van Helsing starts to yell and tries to get to you but Aleera knocks him flat on his back. She looks about ready to finish him off but I swipe at her, keeping him away. "Leave him! Get ready to go!"  
Once you are limp and still in his arms, Dracula holds you in one arm and cuts his wrist with one sharp claw. Lowering you to the ground, her opens your mouth and begins to pour the blood down your throat.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Something bursts in my mind, a harsh explosion of emotion and feeling. I don't think. I feel raw and exposed and...hungry. Need and hunger like I have never known before crashes over me. However, something is satiating the painful hunger. Something. I need it. I don't know what I am doing, but I don't stop.  
As soon as I understand I am drinking, everything comes back to me. Information crowds my brain rapidly. I try to open my eyes, but the colors and lights and sounds are too much. Too bright. Too loud. Dracula. Van Helsing. The ball.  
I shut my eyes again, and suddenly I am convulsing in pain. It hurts so much. Knives, trying to split me open from the inside. There must be knives. Tears spill from my eyes and I groan. I writhe, trying to push the pain away from me.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:16 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Sensing that the change is coming on, Dracula lifts you once more and transforms into his bestial form. Aleera and I do the same, and we burst through the nearby windows and fly out into the night. Aleera cackles as Van Helsing's anguished cries drift up to us on the frosty air, but I can't bring myself to feel joy at our victory. I don't feel badly for you, either. The emotionless calm that is my constant companion settles over me and I consider with dread how interesting the next few days will be...  
_Go and hunt_, Dracula says to Aleera. _She will need to feed soon._  
Aleera swoops out of sight. Dracula and I fly on to our icy home and swoop into one of the towers. Dracula carries you down to your new bedroom and lays you on the bed. He shifts back to his human form and stands there observing you, pleased with his prize. "We are three again." He says, sensing that I remain in the doorway.  
"Yes. Two was never enough. God forbid one." I am about to turn and leave when Dracula teleports to my side and seizes my wrist.  
"Is my eldest displeased with the new charge?" He asks softly. I don't respond. He runs a hand through my hair and he kisses my neck, biting it softly in a mark of affection. "Don't be displeased. We've won."  
I try to feel the distant flutter I used to feel when he touched or looked at me, but I can't. I pry myself gently from his hands and leave.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Why won't I die? When will the pain end? I want to die! I want to escape this!! I dig my heels down, clenching my teeth. The pain has spread out, reaching my arms and legs. I feel as if I am being simultaneously stabbed and shot. Everywhere. My skin prickles and feels hot. My breathing is wrong and labored. Someone is talking, hushing me. "It will be over soon." They touch my face, "Your body is dying, my love." I scream, begging to just die and leave this all behind.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:32 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"You will leave it behind soon. Just rest. I will not leave you until it is over."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I moan again, feeling like tearing out my own hair or clawing at my own face. "Kill me!" I pant. I want free of this! I double over in pain, my legs brushing against that person I can't classify. I twist and curse and shout like this for an indefinite amount of time. Days, minutes, weeks, hours, I can't know.  
Then it is suddenly swept away. The burning on my back and in my face has stopped. I must be dead now. Thank God. I ache, so horribly. I'm so tired and ready for eternal rest...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:02 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"You see?" The voice whispers. "All will be better now."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:21 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Yes." I breathe softly. Yes. The pain is gone. Purgatory would even be better than that. Anything would be better than that. Hell cannot even be that bad...  
Then hunger crashes over me again. Not as devouringly insatiable as before, but still great and terrible. I open my eyes and see the person. A man. A dark, primal voice inside me whispers _master_. He will protect me. Feed me. Take care of me. He must. He will. I needed food and he would bring it.  
I grab him, staring desperately up at him, too starved to tell him what I need. My eyes ached and burned as if I hadn't blinked or slept in years...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:33 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

The man chuckles and cups your cheek with his hand. "Don't worry. We have brought something for you."  
Another person enters into your vision- a woman, with long red hair. She smiles as she offers you a cup, the contents of which you cannot see.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:44 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I can't see it, but I can smell it. Nothing has ever smelled so sweet and flavorful. I felt lightheaded, yet determined upon seeing it. I knew I would die without it. I hold out my arms, shaking with weakness. The man, the _master_, takes the cup and holds it to my lips. I drink. Oh, how I drink. Like life being poured back into me, the aches slowly lessening. My eyes cease to burn. My thoughts are clearer, my feelings more acute and intensified.  
When I finish, I look back up at the man. But suddenly, the man is gone. In his place is the smug face of Dracula, son of the devil and murderer of my entire family. In the place of the woman is his jealous bride, Aleera. I shove myself away from him, my heart thudding in my throat, and fall onto the floor. My body still aches and I quickly stand up.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:49 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Be careful," Dracula says, taking a step towards you. "You are still weak. Do not hurt yourself."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:55 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

His words confused me, so I ignored them. All I could see is that I was in a room with two vampires and I was unarmed. The room was too big. I'd never make it to the door before they could stop me. But that doesn't matter. The odds have never mattered. I shot forward, pressing one foot on the bed and jumping over it. My stockinged feet had no shoes. I felt somewhat lightheaded. My entire body was full of dull pain. But all I could think about was the door in front of me.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:00 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

The door suddenly ceases to get closer as you feel Dracula grab you around the waist. You try to fight him, but your arms feel suddenly like lead. "Lie back down," He says in a soothing voice. "And keep drinking."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:06 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"No! Let go of me!!" I try to beat my fists against his arms and kick at his legs, but my body protests after only a few blows. I squirm weakly. "Godammit, let go..."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:11 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Very well. But only if you lie still and drink." He puts you back down on the bed but keeps his hands on your shoulders to keep you from getting up. Aleera hands him the cup again and he holds it to your lips, waiting for you to drink.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:17 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

My body screamed for the drink. I wanted it so badly...but what is it? Is it poison? He's trying to kill me! No, no, I forbade my mouth to open. I writhed in his grasp and shook my head, spilling the drink down onto my neck and chin. I kicked up my legs as hard as I could. I have to get out of here!  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:20 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Dracula pulls back the cup, afraid you will spill more. "Anna, if you don't drink, the pain will come back." He sounds stern, like a teacher.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:27 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I don't stop squirming. I would rather die like that being cooked alive than with these demons. I have to leave! I have to go! My brain thinks sluggishly, acquiring the trait all my limbs seem to possess. Somehow, an idea comes to me. I reach up for the cup as if I will drink it. However, as soon as it is out of his hands, I throw it away from me as hard as I can, glad as I hear the contents splatter onto the floor.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:30 AM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Aleera snarls and looks like she will attack you, but Dracula growls back at her and she retreats. I appear in the doorway, wondering what is going on.  
"That was unwise, Anna. I can get you more, but if you waste all the blood we've brought you you will have to wait until we hunt again, and then the pain will come back. It will be just as bad as before."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 2:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Blood? What? I throw Dracula's hand off of me and jump off the bed. As I do, I feel the unused hidden stake poke the back of my leg. I try to keep the relief off my face. Now I can get out of here. I stumble over to you, my vision blurred around the edges. "Get out of my way." I yank out the stake.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 3:21 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I raise an eyebrow at you, then step aside. "Let's see how far you get."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 3:28 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I start running and I don't look back. Grabbing up my skirts and trying not to slip without my shoes, I dart around the castle. Hunger bites at my insides. What's going on? Where is Van Helsing? I look behind me to make sure I am not being followed. When I look forward again, I see a flight of icy stairs. I slip, falling forward and knocking my head against one of the stairs.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 3:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

You roll onto your back in a daze, seeing the world swirl around you. The hunger starts biting at your insides again, getting more insistent. You stand up but that just makes the world twirl even more. You cling to the edge of the stairs until it rights itself, and then see that I am standing in the entrance to the room, watching. You sneer and start pulling yourself up the stairs, slipping on every step.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 3:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"What is this??" I ask, still clutching the stake. The farthest I can think back is to the ball...dancing with _him_...I try to pull myself up, but I just slip all the way back down the stairs, landing flat on my behind. How is it possible that I feel like vomiting and consuming everything in sight at the same time?  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 4:17 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"What is what?" I ask, gliding closer.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 4:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"This...what did you do to me?" I manage to say, trying just to focus on you. The hunger inside me is boiling, consuming me almost to the point of unconsciousness. All I can recall is the dancing...and then I was here. The memory is broken and the edges hurt as I try and remember.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"You are one of us now." Is all I say, turning you to look at the wall beside you so you can see your lack of reflection in the ice.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Through my hazy vision, I can see the shiny ice ahead of me. Of course she isn't there, but where am I? Where is my blue dress? Where are the strands of my hair that have fallen out of the pins and won't stay out of my face? Where are the stupid white gloves Van Helsing insisted I wear to blend in with the other guests???  
"No. No." I shake my head. The plan worked. It was supposed to work. This is a nightmare. God, my stomach hurts. "No."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:12 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Yes, Anna." I whisper, putting my hands on your shoulders. "We are sisters now."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:19 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I blinked several times, which only made me dizzier. She was lying. My body was trembling with hunger, but I pressed the button on the stake. The sharp end sprung out. I can't think. I have to go home. I pull away from her and trudge away from the staircase. That hall must lead out.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:23 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

The hall eventually opens up into an enormous entry room. You don't take much heed of everything around you, only what is in front of you- a pair of enormous doors.  
You rush up to them and drop your stake, pulling on the huge metal rings that must open them, but it's useless. Even if you were at your normal strength you would never be able to do it, and now your arms can barely tug on them.  
I appear beside you again. "It won't work. The only way you will escape the castle is if you accept what you are."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

The ice on the handles is slippery on my gloved hands. I pull again, "Shut up." I say with as much ferocity I can muster, "If I was a vampire, I would be running around looking like a slt and murdering people." I almost trip as I bend down for the stake again. I'm going to kill her once the world stops whirling around me.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"I see why Vlad wanted to turn you now. It will be wonderful to watch all the pretenses you cling to get torn away." I put my foot down on the stake before you can lift it. You stumble back. "It's getting harder, isn't it? The hunger is getting stronger. The world is getting darker."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I frown. Hunger. I stick my finger onto the sticky dried substance on my neck. Through my bleary vision, I can see it is red. Red. Red like blood. I had been drinking it. My brain slows down and my heart pounds in my chest. Blood. She was right. How did this happen? I would remember something like that...then I did remember. He bit me. He got me. Van Helsing hadn't made it in time.  
I look up at her. "Move your foot."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"No." I say simply. "You have no right to command me."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Move your godamn foot." I push myself to my feet. I had to keep moving towards my plan or I would question it.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 6:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

In response I jab my foot down quickly, denting the stake. I continue to put my weight and force into it until it is completely flattened where my foot is.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

There goes my last chance of sanity. Anger welled inside me, adding to the choking hunger and weakness. "Why??" I splutter. "Why?? You hate me!! I hate you!! Just kill me. No one's here. Make it look like an accident!" I speak rapidly, my words slightly slurred. I step forward and shove your shoulders aggressively, picking a fight I hope to lose.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Vlad would know. There is nothing of us that he does not know. And the fact that I hate you, supposedly, should make me want to see you suffer."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:21 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Stupid btch!" I gasp, beating my fists against your shoulders. However, I must be weaker than I think. I suddenly feel like crying. I feel like bursting into hot, bitter tears and screaming until my throat is so ragged I can't speak. I was so hungry. So tired.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"A btch, yes, but I am not stupid. I am not stupid enough to think you will come back with me and drink until the hunger has worn away your mind completely."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:37 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"I will not kill people to keep myself alive. I will never drink. Never." My legs, as if disheartened by my statement, give way and I fall back down onto the icy floor. The excruciating hunger is now drowning out the pain of my aching body. Just let me die. Let my own body just eat itself. Please...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Everyone says that." I watch you on the ground with disinterest, waiting until you are hungry enough not to struggle when I take you back.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:55 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Her apathy only infuriates me further. I can't think of anything bad enough to call her. Or anything insulting enough. My mind feels like it is on fire. Pain pounds throughout my body. The hunger is suffocating. Oh God..."Aleera didn't."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 7:56 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"How do you know? I was there when she was turned. You weren't even born."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I try to steady my harsh breathing, finding it hard to stay conscious. I want to just slip into peaceful unconsciousness, but my stubborn body refuses. "How could you stand there...and watch your husband...kill and...love...another woman?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:14 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Because it's happened twice before, and nothing I did or said then would stop him. I'm through with tears and screams and broken glass."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"Why don't...you leave him?" My eyes twitch and I find myself leaning frighteningly close to the floor.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I laugh at that, as if you're absurd to even think it. "Maybe I am stupid." I say once my laughter has quieted.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"You're stupid. You should have left him decades a go." I breathe softly. I might as give poor relationship advice if I'm going to die like this...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"And the trouble is that I never will. He is all I have left in this world besides hallways full of dead children." I look your over, wondering how much longer you'll last like this. "Don't talk so much. Just relax and soon you will rest."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Soon I'd explode with insatiable hunger. "You could find another husband." I whisper, laying my head on the floor and closing my eyes. I don't care what happens now. Just make this stop. Please. God, Jesus...anyone?  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"After Vlad? My heart doesn't work that way. If it's still there at all." I kneel at your side. I can sense that you're weakening and know it will be a matter of minutes before I can take you back upstairs.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

"He isn't that attractive..."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

I laugh again but don't say anything, hoping if I don't respond you'll quiet at last.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 8:59 PM  
**Subject:** Re: The Ball of Immortal Enemies

Something like a painful rest falls over me. It's somewhere between awake and asleep, but it's quiet. Quiet and no one is here, ruining my hopes of suicide and telling me I'm a...vampire.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:10 PM  
**Subject:** Home, Sweet Home

I carefully pick you up and walk most of the way to your room, then teleport to your bed and set you down there. No one else remains. I'm about to feed you myself when Dracula enters His hair has come out of its usual ponytail and hangs loosely over his shoulders; his clothes are only half on. He looks like he's had a rough few minute since I've been gone, but the bite marks over his chest and throat and the distinct, musky scent of arousal combined with Aleera's laughter coming from elsewhere in the castle suggest he's been keeping himself amused.  
I don't even raise an eyebrow at this and instead reach for the cup at the side of the bed, which has been refilled. Dracula comes to kneel behind me with his arms around my waist as I cradle your head and carefully begin to pour the blood down your throat. He begins to give me similar bite marks on my neck as I do this, which make my hand tremble occasionally.  
"So tender." He remarks when I lower your head gently back to the pillow and set the now half-empty goblet back on the dresser. "You will soon make a fine mother, Verona. Soon."  
I let him pull me from the room and towards my own, reminded of why I can't leave.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

When I open my eyes again, the hunger is only dully pulsing through me. I immediately grab the half empty cup and drink. I drink, forgetting of my vow never to do so again. I look up, uneasy fear starting to well up inside me. I have to leave. I have to get shoes. I have to get the smeared blood off my neck. I shoot up and dart for the door, wrenching it open and making for the giant doors down the staircase.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

...of course, you only get halfway down the hall before you run straight into Dracula's chest.  
"We're feeling better, I see." He remarks as you back up, lips drawn back in a snarl. You immediately stop the motion when you realize you can feel the beginnings of a growl rising in your stomach.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula


	2. The Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

Ahh. Part Two. I'm actually surprised people reviewed it. I thought the format would repel readers. But anyway, there will only be two more entries like this. Then it is all in first person (Anna will be the main character) and in story format. Patience, darlings, patience.

Vicky: Thank you! I have a lot to give, so most of the chapters I will (hopefully!) post will be long. At least for a while. Thanks for sticking to the story. I know the format is complicated. . Just know that your intelligence is higher since you are able to comprehend the story in a different format. :)

Texknight1234567: Wow, that's a compliment and a half! I'm glad someone appreciates the multiple points of view. Having main characters for each other made the writing easier. ;)

* * *

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home 

...of course, you only get halfway down the hall before you run straight into Dracula's chest.  
"We're feeling better, I see." He remarks as you back up, lips drawn back in a snarl. You immediately stop the motion when you realize you can feel the beginnings of a growl rising in your stomach.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Ah. The perfect person to take out my anger on. I shriek and rake my nails over one side of his face. "You stupid son of a b!tch! Godammit, what the hell is wrong with you??" I continue shouting obscenities as I lunge at him, blind fury giving me courage that I normally wouldn't have.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

After allowing you to assault his person for a little while, Dracula catches hold of both your hands. You are strong now, strong because of the blood, but he is still stronger. He grips your wrists and stares into your eyes and for a moment you flinch, remembering the _master_ you saw when you first awoke. The moment flees again and you try furiously to attack once more but he won't let you.  
"Maybe we shouldn't have fed you." He sighs, pulling you close against him so you have no room to flail.  
"Go ahead. Starve me. I'd rather be dead than live with you!"  
"Oh, starving won't kill you. Our bodies are ingenious that way. Once you come close to starving you will lose all sense of control and attack the first living creature you see, and the next, and the next, until your stomach is beyond full. Believe me, Anna, you do not want to starve."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:48 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Then I'll commit suicide. I won't exist like this." I push against him. Being this close to him is repulsive.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He laughs at that. "If you can find a way to do it while still in this castle, then you have won the right to take your life. Do you really think I'd keep a silver stake in my house? A sword? A cross? Garlic, even? How will you commit suicide, Anna? I'm curious." He lets you go.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 9:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why would I tell you?" I snarl, brushing past him quickly and towards the doors and their giant silver rings.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:05 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Do you intend to do it with those rings?" He asks. "I assure you, you couldn't make anything sharp enough to penetrate from those."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:10 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You are a fool. You are stupid, conceited man that acts only upon selfish impulses." I pull on the giant silver rings to try and open the giant doors. I can't tell if they move or not, but I try again.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"So it is selfish to want to eat and to have living children? Then we are all terribly selfish creatures." He stands by watching this with an amused grin.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No. It is terrible to kill and capture a woman you are attracted to and force her into insanity." I stumble backwards after one last pull, the ice on the rings melting where I grip it. I feverishly pull off my gloves, cursing their complete lack of usefulness.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:26 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Well, that was a bit selfish of me." He admits, leaning against the nearby wall. "I can't even move those doors, you know."  
"Then how are they opened?"  
"Why would I tell you?" He mocks.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:28 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I want to get the hell out of this place!" I shout angrily.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I don't want you to go, so why should I tell you?" Your anger just makes him more amused.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Friday, July 14, 2006 10:41 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why don't you want me to go?!? I'll do nothing but hurt you and hurt myself and scream until I'm gone! Jesus, there are thousands of other girls who would come here and let you destroy their minds, why don't you find one of them!?!"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 9:55 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"The thrill of the chase. I'm not interested in girls that fall head over heels for me, not anymore."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:24 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Well, congratulations! I'm here! You got me! The chase is over. Now go find someone else to replace me." I push the fallen strands of hair out of my face and look around the hall. If the doors don't open, how do they go in and out of the castle? They fly. How does one fly? I have no idea.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:27 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Oh, the chase is far from over." He catches your train of thought easily. "You are too young yet to fly, Anna. Give it a couple more days."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:36 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I try not to show how angry I am. Jesus Christ, I have to get out of here. How do you kill a vampire when almost every useful tool for doing so is absent? Holy water. Sunlight. Fire. I whirl around to face the giant goblets of fire that run down the middle of the giant entrance hall. I had ignored them before because I had no use for them, but now I did. Vampiric blood is very, very flammable. It is nearly impossible to save a vampire once he or she has caught on fire.  
But that must be the most painful and horrible form of suicide. But I can't stay here. I can't stay here and live like this, with him, with them...I start running towards the first goblet as fast as my cold feet can carry me.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:46 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula catches you before you get anywhere near the goblets. "Clever, clever girl. We shall have to have the Dwergi douse those until you are in a more harmonious frame of mind."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:51 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Harmonious frame of mind?? This castle is incapable of creating or holding a harmonious frame of mind! My feet are wet and cold, my arms are cold, my dress is ripped and dirty, I have blood smeared over my neck and shoulders, and I'm being help captive by the oldest vampire I know of who took the liberty of making me one of them!! I feel like crying again. A lump forms in my throat, but I try to ignore it. "Let go of me."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:07 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No." Dracula says, pulling you slowly closer to him.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes! Yes! I can't stand being in the same room with you! What don't you understand about that? I'd rather you be beating me senseless than touching me!!" I halfheartedly try to pull away, knowing the only way out of this position is if he lets me go.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'd never beat a future bride." He says quietly. "Or a current one, for that matter. So I'm afraid you'll have to settle for this."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I can't settle for this, you fool! What do you want from me? What could I possibly give you that any other woman couldn't??"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I've already told you- a challenge. I want someone who will prove their strength by fighting me- it's a way to guarantee strong children. Some day."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:48 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"How dare you even suggest such a horrible thing! I would rather tear off my own arm than give you one of those disgusting, slimy monsters you call children! Why do you even bother?? Your repulsive children are just going to rot in your castle until the end of eternity. You'll reap what you deserve."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula's arms tighten very subtly around you. "And so will you, my dear, if you persist in that train of thought."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 1:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I don't deserve this. No good person deserves to have their life and freedom stolen from them in one night."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:07 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't be so certain. From my point of view last night, you weren't a good person. You were a murdering vigilante bent on destroying my dream. Now, however, I'm willing to accept you into my family. Who is the good person now?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:16 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I blink. He can't seriously be trying to use that as an argument. "Of course I was trying to murder one of you. You've killed every member of my family. You kill people from my village monthly. So save your generosity for someone who wants it. Now let go of me."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I don't want to." He says, holding you tighter. "You're warmer than my other brides. It feels nice to have warmth beside me."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Many other things are warm. Like flaming crosses. Or those big flaming goblets behind me. Why don't you hug them?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:33 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"That's not the kind of warmth I want." He murmurs, burying his face in your hair.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Now I am not only uncomfortable, angry, and desperate, but I am also embarrassed. "Stop. Don't do that." I attempt to pry his arms off of me.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:43 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'll stop when I want to." He says, nuzzling the back of your neck.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

So I stand there, my back stiff and my face set to a look of pure malice. This is wrong. He shouldn't be kissing my neck; he should be throwing me across the room. I should feel terrified and full of adrenaline, not annoyed and insulted. At least in a struggle for my life I would know how to act.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Using one arm to keep your arms pinned, he reaches up with the other to undo your fancy hairstyle. Once your hair is down he goes back to your neck and begins to clean the blood off of it with lips and tongue.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:04 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

This is disgusting on too many levels for me to allow. "No, no, no. Just...no, stop. For Christ's sake just get a towel!!" I kick my legs up and squirm in anger, trying much harder to get away this time.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He just continues what he's going, chuckling against your skin so you can feel the vibrations.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I begin muttering in angry Romanian mostly because it is all I can do in my current situation, "Aside from the fact that I hate you more than I can articulate, this is wrong. This is wrong. This is revolting. You could do this to either of those wh0res you call brides!" The feel of his...tongue is sickening. When will he stop?? Before or after I vomit??  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:24 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"But I want you." He says, moving one of his arms so it's more around your hips rather than your waist.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:33 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

A cold chill runs through me, and I stop struggling briefly. He what?? No! Oh, good God no! "But I don't! Why don't we just stop and get to know each other before making any sort of commitment??" My voice is slightly higher and desperate plans of action are running through my head.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Of course my darling, we can wait!" He shouts an angry word to some nearby Dwergi and they rush to put out the enormous goblets of fire. Once they are all doused, Dracula releases you. "But not for long." He adds with a slow smile.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:28 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I feel like dancing just to be out of his grasp! My neck, however, is wet with his drool, so I lift up my dress and wipe my neck off, feeling even more disgusted at him as I do so. I don't care if he sees my petticoats and other skirts. He obviously has no sense of propriety anyway.  
I immediately make for the stairs. Not only does this put space between us, but there might be other torches around the castle if I look hard enough..  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula glides quietly a few steps behind you, watching.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I spy a torch at the end of the corridor. I break out into a flat sprint. He doesn't stop me! I run, almost slipping on the icy floor, and just as I reach out to grab it, it goes out. Dammit! I whirl around and he is suddenly right behind me. "Don't you have business to attend to?? Aren't you going to go look for the Frankenstein monster?? Or have you given up hope entirely?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:48 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"All in good time, my love, all in good time. Right now dear Gabriel is probably frantic with worry. Let's let him stew a while longer before we show our faces once more."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He isn't worried. He's probably mad and three times more determined to kill you." How am I going to lose him? Why won't he just go away??  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Only three times? I have stolen the love of his life. I should think he is a hundred times more angry. All the more reason to wait."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:56 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He doesn't love me. He doesn't even know me." I grumble, searching down the hall for another torch.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Are you so certain?" He asks, then pauses. "He never told you about Analiese, did he? I wonder if he even remembers her." Dracula seems suddenly solemn.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Analiese. Analiese. Where have I heard that name before? There is a painting of her at Vaseria. I look almost exactly like her. "Who was Analiese?" I ask.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:07 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Your ancestor of about... four hundred years. Not your direct ancestor, of course, because she died before she could marry." He shakes his head, viewing you with sad eyes. "You look so much like her. But her hair was more red- not so dark. She herself was not so dark as you."  
"And what does she have to do with Van Helsing?" You ask.  
"Gabriel?" Dracula smiles a bitter smile. "She is the reason he killed me."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:12 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You stole her from him, didn't you? Did he love her?" That was so like him. Stealing women away from their happiness.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Do not be so quick to judge, Anna. Gabriel stole her from me."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:17 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Then why would he kill you?" I actually bother to stop and listen to him, slightly embarrassed at my interest in Dracula and Van Helsing's past.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:24 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I found out that she was never mine in the first place. She made me believe that she loved me best, knowing we were both vying for her attentions. She did it to see if Gabriel loved her enough to chase her. Then... I saw them. I saw them kissing in the garden. She kissed him the way she never kissed me." He takes a deep breath. "I came into her room that night. I took the only thing I could from her and left her bleeding on the bed. That was her punishment. I challenged Gabriel to a duel the next morning. He killed me that night."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I stare at him, horrified. "You were a monster before you died..." I whisper. Then rage fills me, churning and boiling inside me, and I start shouting, "The only reason you killed me was for her! You stole my life to avenge a memory!! The only reason either you or Van Helsing would want me would be because I looked like her! You only took me so he couldn't have me!" I couldn't think of anything offensive enough to call him, so I pick up my skirts and start running away from him. I won't let that happen to me. I hope they both kill each other over me so I won't have to deal with the possibility of their affections. Ever.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

For once, Dracula does not follow you. Instead, you run straight into me. "Off to an early start I see." I say dryly.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 15, 2006 11:40 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

After almost having a small heart attack, "The Count wants you." I blurt out, not pausing to think.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:21 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I arch an eyebrow. "Really now? I don't believe you."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

"He does. He needs a neck to salivate on and he requested yours." I snap bitterly, walking past you and towards another flight of stairs.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"That's strange. Normally he would just ask me, not send someone else." I say mildly, following you.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 5:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Would he really ask you? You mean, he cares about your opinions?" I ask sarcastically. "How many years does that take??"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"A very, very long time." I reply, still following. "Where are you going?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:08 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Somewhere where I can find a torch." I grumble angrily, frustrated by my useless efforts. I should not be putting this much effort into a search. Why would creatures that can see in the dark need torches? "Are you my new shadow??" At least she won't try to kiss my neck...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:17 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes." I reply honestly. "You can hardly be left alone. You're like a newborn child. You are a newborn child, in fact. You're a fledgling."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't call me that." I stop moving. I can hear her dress flutter as she stops behind me. As long as I am with any of them, I can't do anything. She'd go after me if I tried to light myself on fire or throw myself out a window. I don't have anything to inflict harm on either of us except my fingernails, which are too short to be used anyway. I'm stuck. Until I learn to fly, I'm stuck. Until I learn to disappear at one end of the room and reappear at the other end, I'm stuck.  
I wipe my eyes tiredly, smearing make up on my hands and face. I'll just have to accept temporary resignation with as much contempt and malice as I can manage.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:33 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'm certain you'd like to clean up a little. If you come with me I will show you where you can bathe and keep the master from any debauchery." I say, noting your disheveled state.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:40 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The only positive thing I can see coming from that is getting out of my too-tight corset. "No. I'm fine." Aleera would become a nun before I would take off my clothes for any reason in this castle.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:45 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Are you sure you still want to remember his mouth on your neck?" I say. "His hands on that dress? Don't you feel unclean?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 8:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Now that she mentions it, I can almost feel my neck ache with pain and shame where he kissed me. "Hot water can't wash away his lechery." I mutter.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It will make you feel better." I continue. "Come, take a bath. It will be the only time alone you'll have for a very long time."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He planned this, didn't he?" I turn to face you, annoyed by your calm. Why can't you seem to feel any sort of emotion??  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:07 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No, he didn't. I _am_ capable of independent thought, unlike Aleera." I tilt my head and look at you a little sadly. "Can't I want to help you?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No. You're too intelligent to do anything without one thousand and one ulterior motives. Most vampires are."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"How many ulterior motives could there be behind a _bath_?" I snort.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I won't try to understand how you think. And why would you want to help me?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I pity you. I have been in your same situation."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I scowl. "I don't need your charity."  
"Would you rather me be mean and spiteful? In that case, I find you disgusting to look at and if you do not take a bath alone I shall invite our husband to join you."  
I blink. "Fine. Just, leave him alone."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:55 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I smile. "Good. Now come with me." I glide in the direction of your room without waiting for you to follow.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I follow. A bath alone is infinitely better than a bath shared with anyone. Especially Dracula. Once we are in my giant room, she opens a side door and shows me an obscenely ornate bathroom. It makes me sick to think of all the gold and silver in this bedroom and bathroom when there are people that go hungry in my village...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:05 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I begin running water for you and then open a cabinet. "Anything you should wish for your bath is in here. There is a robe hanging on the door. I will wait outside until you are finished. I take it you need help with your dress?"  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I bite my tongue to distract myself from the fact that I will have to use your help. I quickly pull off the dress. "Yes." I say passively, turning my back so that she can pull the corset strings loose.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:16 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I come behind you and loosen the strings carefully but quickly, leaving the corset for you to remove. "I will be waiting." I collect your dress and leave the room with it, closing the door behind me.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:26 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I let angry thoughts fester inside me as I take off the corset, the other skirts, the stockings and garter belt, and all the other ridiculous undergarments that are required for balls. I slip into the bath slowly, realizing just how cold I was as soon as I touch the hot water.  
I try not to think too much as I sit in the water. One of the only things I'm afraid of is my own mind. My memories...I shake my head and reach over to the cabinet of smelly bath soaps. I open a fancy bottle of hair soap and begin to work it into my hair. It is then that I notice how big the bathtub is. It almost invites several people to be in it at once. I blush and concentrate of the soaps for the rest of my bath.  
I wince as I dry my neck off with a towel. I had scrubbed that area for quite a while and now I regretted it. Once I slip on the bathrobe, I open the door slightly. "Can I have my clothes back now?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:28 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Certainly. Come see what I have for you."  
The first thing you notice when you step into the room is that your dress is nowhere in sight. The second thing you notice is that I am sitting on your bed beside a dress that is most definitely NOT yours, and that it is the only clothing in sight.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:32 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Where is my dress?" I ask, stepping forward and looking around for it. Suddenly I feel so STUPID for letting you walk away with my clothes. I should have just made you leave them!  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:35 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It was bloody. I disposed of it." I say calmly. "This is your new dress."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No. That is not a dress. That is a very long curtain." My talking speeds up as I realize exactly what it is. "Tell me where my dress is now."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:40 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I ripped it to shred and threw it out the window. Now your options are to wear the robe you're wearing now or this dress. Or nothing at all."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I place my hand on the doorknob behind me and turn it. "No thank you." I would rather walk around in my underclothes than wear that!! Those horrible dresses you could practically see through! I slam the door closed and twist the lock, darting towards my undergarments.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I'm there before you, teleporting from the other room. I shred everything I can reach while you grab at it, and even when you do manage to latch onto something that just makes it worse. Eventually, there is almost nothing left.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Dammit! Why would you do that??!?" I yell, holding up the half a petticoat I am left with.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I be able to come up with an original thought, but sometimes I must obey those of my master." I say, sounding as frustrated as you are. "I didn't want this to happen, but your stubbornness and Vlad's impatience have left me with no choice."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:55 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"What is the worst he could have done to you, Verona?? He told me he does not beat his brides!"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 10:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I couldn't tell you what he'd do. You wouldn't understand it- not yet. You'd laugh at me."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"What would he do? You don't get jealous or angry!"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't assume that I feel nothing just because I don't give voice to every thought and emotion that passes through me." I snarl, baring my fangs.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula


	3. The Consummation

**Author's Note:**

Oh, how I do love a good, depressing drama...

Vicky: My dear, I truly appreciate your reviews. However, if you look at the dates on these emails, this story has been written for several months. I can't do anything about the plot until I start writing it myself, which should begin the chapter after next. Hopefully this chapter will satiate your Anna/Dracula needs. :)

--Extreme innuendo to follow. Nothing graphic, but you will all understand just what happens.--

* * *

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:05 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home 

"I'm _sure_ you enjoy being a woman of great mystery." I glare at you darkly.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I do not enjoy it. I do it out of necessity."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:10 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Necessity? Like the necessity it was to destroy my clothing??" I shout, kicking up the white rags of undergarments. "If you feel so sorry for me, why didn't you let me keep my damn dress??"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because soon it will be time for you to take your place. It is time for you to leave everything of your old life behind."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I just stare at you. "I cannot do that. You know that, the Count knows that, and yet you still insist on tearing up my clothes!"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"They won't matter that much in the end."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:23 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I considered my options. Running around in a bathrobe is out. They aren't stable enough and can fly open at an inopportune moment. But I can't wear that dress...but nudity is not an option either. "Surely there must be at least one other dress in this castle I can wear."  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 12:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"None better than that."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 12:37 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Then I am silent. Part of me wants to call her a liar, but she actually might be telling the truth. I cross my arms over my chest and hold my upper arms. IF I did wear that dress, it would only be for a few days. When I got the hell out of here, I could burn it. And just putting on a dress can't make me what they all are on the inside. "Then I suppose I really don't have any other choice, do I?"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Well, there's still the naked option." I say with a faint smile.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:08 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'm afraid I have too much dignity for that..." I roll my eyes and unlock the bathroom door, walking slowly back out into the bedroom.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:19 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I will leave you, unless you want help." I say, heading towards the door that leads out into the hall.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I pick up the shoulders of the dress as she quietly closes the door. Verona has a green dress, Aleera has a pink one, and I have a red one. Oh God. It looks something like Aleera's, which I immediately don't like. After searching for the end of the fabric to find the bottom of the dress, I slip it over my head. It slides over me, just as embarrassingly form fitting as the red ball gown I wore on All Hallows Eve. How does he know my size??  
Once the dress is on, I realize that it fits like Aleera's dress as well. An absolutely indecent amount of cleavage is revealed by this damned dress, and I pull hopelessly on it to try and cover up a little more of me. The long, flowing sleeves keep getting in the way, and I have to toss them away every few seconds in my struggle with the neckline.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:35 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Aleera enters the room as you continue to struggle with the dress. I stand slightly behind her. "Why does her dress have to look like mine? Why can't she copy yours?" She hisses to me.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why do these dresses have to look like this at all?" I ask bitterly. "I look like a prostitute!"  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because the master likes them." Aleera says, moving slowly around your room and taking everything in.  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Well, the master can burn in hell." I abandon my attempts to pull the fabric to a proper fit and scramble around in the dresser drawers. There has to be a pin somewhere around here!  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"How dare you say that!" Aleera shrieks and appears about ready to attack you when I latch myself onto her, hissing low in my throat.  
"She hasn't even been here for a day yet, Aleera. You can't expect her to feel as strongly as you do."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 1:58 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I turn briefly to glance at Aleera, seething with rage. I bet I could get her to kill me. But wait...am I escaping or committing suicide? I give her a smile in hopes of infuriating her and turn back to the dresser drawers. Combs, brushes, mirrors, necklaces, bracelets, rings, but no pins! "Tell me where the pins are." I whirl back around to both of you.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:04 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You are in no place to make demands, fledgling." Aleera spits. "Ask nicely."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I don't owe you good manners. The only thing I owe you is a stake through your heart." I mutter fiercely, wrenching open another drawer of the dresser.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Fine, then you can suffer on your own looking for what you seek."  
Love,  
Comtesse Verona Dracula

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I try to use a broach I find in the drawer as a pin. I pull and struggle with the fabric until I finally manage to pin both sides of the neckline together. I stare down at it, watching the broach struggle with the dress until it finally snaps off. Dammit! I do need their help, and I'm going to get it. I can't let anyone see me in this, especially not the Count. "Please tell me where the pins are. I need them." I turn back to you both.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:24 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Come with me, I know where they are." I say.  
"Who cares if she-" Aleera begins to speak but I cut her off.  
"Silence!" I snarl. "I've hardly been with you for two minutes and I'm already sick of your whining!"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Aleera frowns, but says nothing. "This way." You being to walk from the room in your usual graceful manner, and I follow, the ridiculous dress swishing around my legs and dragging on the floor. I wish I had some shoes...  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:35 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I lead you down the hall and up a staircase to my bedroom, where I produce a pin for you out of my nightstand. "There you are."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 2:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I stare at you. You actually did what I wanted. No tricks or anything. Slightly amazed, I take the pin and try to pin my dress into a more respectable outfit. As I struggle with it, Aleera slinks in, apparently still angry enough about my new dress to taunt me about it. "You will rip it if you pin it."  
"How do you know?"  
"It has happened to me before. If it rips, then the rip will just get bigger and you will be left with nothing but a pile of string."  
"The only way your dress could have been ripped is if you ripped it intentionally, Aleera. You probably wanted to be left with nothing but a pile of string." I chuckle, not because I amused, but because it seems so true.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 3:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I did not! I would never want to destroy a gift!" She hisses.  
I'm smiling too, though, clearly trying not to laugh.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 3:48 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Is that what you call what you're wearing? A gift?"  
"Yes. These dresses are beautiful." She scowls, angry at my ignorance.  
"No they aren't! Dracula dresses you up like a wh0re and you're too stupid to realize it!"  
She disappears. My heartbeat races in that brief second when she isn't anywhere. Then she reappears right in front of me. She grabs the pin out of my hand before I can react and snaps it in half. DAMMIT!! I shove her away from me and stomp back over to you. "Do you have any more pins?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 6:33 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes." I say quietly. "Would you like one?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 8:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If she promises not to break them..."  
"The master will just remove any pins anyway." She scoffs, her eyes blazing pink.  
Love,  
Princess Anna Valerious

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 10:01 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Well then you should leave the decision to him." I say coolly to Aleera, my eyes turning to ice. "So don't touch the next one." I go and get you another pin.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 17, 2006 10:41 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I quickly fasten the pin to the front of my dress. "Can I have another?"  
Aleera cackles, "That looks so ugly."  
"I don't care." I say, accepting another from you.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:08 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You will when the master is displeased." Aleera taunts.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:16 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Really?" I ask uninterestedly. By that time, the two straining pins are in place. It looks ridiculous but I am satisfied. I am so glad that I almost thank you. Instead I sweep out of the room and start walking towards 'my' room.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:18 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You're welcome," I call, remaining where I am. Aleera decides to follow you.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:21 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I grin. "You know, Aleera, you don't have to make fun of my dress just because the 'master' likes me better than you. He'll always have a place for you in his little black heart. I think." I bite my tongue so that I don't laugh. I can practically feel her tensing with anger...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:49 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Until I cut you out of his heart, and then all of it will be mine." She says in a low voice, walking faster so that she's at your side.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:51 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"How are you going to do that?" I ask in the same tone, trotting down the staircase.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:05 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why would I tell you? So you can stop my plans?" She laughs. "I'm not stupid, Anna."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:10 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Then I laugh. I laugh the first genuine laugh I've laughed in a long time. "I don't think you have a plan." I open the bedroom door, step inside, and quickly slam it in her face.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:15 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You hear Aleera's high-pitched cackle on the other side of the door, as if she knows something that you don't. The laughter fades slowly, leaving you to assume that she's walked away.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:20 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I lean onto the bed, one pin snapping open as I do. These pins aren't going to last very long. There isn't enough fabric on this horrible dress. I sit down on the pillow, tuck my cold feet under the blankets, and wrap my arms around my knees. I will just sit here and wait to get older. Just a few days. That's what he said. Wait, he said a couple days? Why should I believe him?? He is probably lying to make sure I don't try to escape!!  
My thoughts bounce around inside my head as I fix the pin on my dress. I could just ask Verona. She seems to be acting civil. Relatively civil. But that would give away my idea...

----- Original Message -----

**From:** Arwen

**To:** Anna

**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:55 AM

**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You continue to toy with different ideas for how long you don't know, until at last you fall asleep. You awaken to the sound of a knock on your door. "May I come in?" It's my voice.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:19 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If you must." I say, looking down to find both pins popped open. Are the pins against me as well!?!

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:40 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I enter slowly and note the state of your dress. I'm carrying a goblet with me. "Drink this. You may not be hungry now but you don't want the hunger to get too far."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:43 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I quickly fasten the pins again. "No. No thank you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:57 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Very well, then. I consider you ready now." With those words, I set down the goblet and leave you.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:59 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Ready for what?" I call after you, frowning.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"To come with us." The door opens and you see Aleera is waiting. She looks oddly serious.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:05 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I don't like that look. "Where are we going?" I ask, standing up.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You will see." I say, looking back at you from the door. "Please, join us."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:12 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No. Tell me where you are going." The sight of Aleera with such a serious look on her face is unnerving. I narrow my eyes suspiciously. Where would they both take me? One of the pins pops and springs off of my dress, but I don't bend to pick it up. My suspicion makes me want to keep my eyes on your calm faces.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 1:58 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Join us." I call again, more softly, extending my hand. It might've been better if you had looked down to pick up the pin, because now my eyes fasten on yours and you feel the same tug you'd felt dancing with Dracula. The feeling that suddenly your body wasn't your own. You begin to walk forward, towards me.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:08 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I curse inwardly several times. Whatever this was, they wouldn't stop until it was done and it was serious to the point of subduing Aleera. Aleera is looking sullenly at you, as if she cannot help but be impressed in her sad state. "Don't do this! Where are you going to take me??" I try so hard to pull away that my legs ache.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You will see." I say. You are now standing between the two of us. We glide out into the hall and down into the large entrance hall where you were with Dracula earlier. We choose a different staircase to ascend this time, and another after that, heading to the highest part of the castle. We stop a few feet from a pair of large double doors. We wait, but for what you aren't sure.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 2:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

As we wait, my heart pounds. What is this, some sort of ritual? The doors seemed so foreboding, making my heart pound so loudly that the last pin on my dress pops off. Aleera grins mockingly, but then she looks at the door as if it was breaking her heart. You must have gotten the same signal because you open one of the doors and release me from your strange hypnosis.  
However, I have no way of escaping, because four hands shove me inside the room. I stumble inside and the door is quickly closed behind me. I hear Aleera give a small sob. Then you hiss at her to be quiet and I can hear your skirts flutter as you glide away.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 4:55 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You turn and pound on the door, shouting after us and shaking the handle, all to no avail. It is only when you hear the voice behind you that you think to turn and see what room you're in.  
"Good evening, Anna." Dracula says.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 5:12 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

My heart simultaneously stops, then begins to beat rapidly with fear. What is he doing here? Behind him, I see a dresser and an armoire, both a dark, shiny, polished wood. His bedroom. Then my eyes rest on the biggest, most elaborate bed I have ever seen. Crimson velvet drapes hang from the four-poster bed, looming eerily in the firelight coming from the fireplace.  
"What is so good about this evening?" I ask angrily, falling into my habit of turning fear into hostility.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 5:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It is a good evening because you are here, Anna." He says, walking slowly closer. "Please, come inside. I've been expecting you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 5:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No. Open this door and let me out." My words become more contemptuous as he rakes over me with his eyes.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 5:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Not quite yet. Come closer." He beckons you with his hands and meets your eyes, forcing you to obey. He runs his hands lightly up and down your arms, making you shiver in spite of yourself. "You are even lovelier in this gown than I had imagined when I sent Verona to give it to you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 6:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I look like a streetwalker. As do Verona and Aleera." I snarl.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 6:07 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If you do, then you are the most beautiful woman that has ever walked the streets." He raises your hand and kisses it several times, very slowly. He still keeps his hold on your hand after he backs away, then leads you further still into the room. "I see Verona did not succeed in getting you to feed. Do you want a drink now, or later?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 6:50 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I will never..._feed_." I spit out the word agitatedly, wishing his soft lips would never touch me again.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 6:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Would it soothe you to know that this is not human blood?" He says, raising a goblet he has on a tray sitting on the bed.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 7:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It would not." As I look at the goblet, a phantom of the devouring need I had felt last night and the night before flickers inside me.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 7:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He sighs and sets it down. "Very well, but it won't taste as good in the morning. It will be cold."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 7:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You could drink it, if you worry so much about its temperature."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:23 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I have already fed. I was simply concerned for your pleasure." Surprisingly, there is no innuendo in the words. Dracula comes to stand behind you, still keeping your hypnosis on so you can't run. He smoothes his hands over your shoulders and down your arms, and then back up again. "You seem so tense. Why don't you relax?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:26 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I do not wish to be here." Is this the only way he can spend time with women? Controlling their minds and bodies so they cannot leave? How pathetic...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Pathetic, am I?" He whispers in your ear, reading your thoughts. "That's not a very nice thing to think of your future husband."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

A hot shiver runs down my back and I flush with embarrassment. "I will never marry you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Oh? I don't recall saying that you could refuse." He smiles and paces in a tight circle around you. "Does your body really want to refuse?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"My body does not govern my actions." I glare at him darkly as he paces.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"A noble assertion." He nods, making one last circuit, until he can stand beside you and rest his hand on your hip. He drags it slowly up the side of your body, just brushing the curve of one breast before it comes to rest on the side of your neck. His fingertips brush your face not long after.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:45 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I jerk my head away from his fingers, insulted and embarrassed by his actions. Completely ignoring the fact that I hate him and find him repulsive, this was far too much for any unmarried woman to tolerate.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"And a very noble attempt." He nods again, coming to stand in front of you and putting his arm around your waist. Your bodies aren't touching- not yet.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I look up at him. "If you cannot feel love for a woman, then how can you lust after her?" The hundreds of slimy babies lining the halls of this castle cannot all be from genuine desire for children.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 10:56 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"A very astute observation. I feel nothing, yes, but lust is not an emotion of the heart. It belongs to other organs. Sometimes I manage to fool myself into thinking that lust can reawake my heart." He's moved an inch closer to you without you noticing.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"One would think that after so many attempts you would have given up." I say coldly, as if asking him to give up immediately.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Believe it or not, I am a determined optimist." That last inch is closed, and your bodies are touching lightly.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:23 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Are Verona and Aleera? I can't imagine Aleera caring for anything but herself and possibly you and Verona seems indifferent to almost everything." I try to assault his hypnosis with my mind, trying to shove him out of control. However, I am met with an impenetrable metaphysical wall and I quickly abandon the attempt to free myself to focus on inventing a new one.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Aleera is more of an optimist than you think. She's always hoping I'll make her my only Bride. And Verona..." He trails off a moment, seeming almost sad before he regains his composure. "She was never an optimist to begin with."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I raise an eyebrow, "Perhaps you should have considered keeping the women you wanted to procreate with alive."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 9:14 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"And watch them die before their time? Never. I'd rather keep them with me always." His arm tightens around your waist and his other arm slips around your upper back, holding you completely against him. He leans in so that his lips brush your cheek.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 10:06 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I try to stay calm, but my heart is beating so quickly he must know how terrified I am. "But if you cared for their happiness, then you would have let them choose between life or eternal death."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 10:38 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Perhaps." He murmurs, his lips still against your skin. "Your heart is beating so fast, Anna. Don't let the anticipation leave you breathless."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 10:53 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"_Anticipation_??" I spit, trying to twist out of his grasp and succeeding in moving slightly. "Do you honestly believe that every woman falls desperately in love with you and your narcissistic demeanor??"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:18 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"In love? No. In lust? It's happened before." He gives you just enough room to move and relaxes his hold on your mind slightly.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:26 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If you are so confident in your abilities to seduce women, then why are you controlling my actions??"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:33 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Is that a challenge?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:40 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It is not!! Did it ever occur to you that perhaps your brides would be happier if you had let them come to you or even bothered to let them fall in love with you before you killed them??"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:43 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You know, Anna, I do believe I smell fear on you. You don't want me to take up this challenge."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:48 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why would I want you to do anything of that nature?? I despise you more than I can articulate!"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:52 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"That doesn't matter now." He runs his hands slowly up your back and then down again, making you shiver again. Abruptly, his hold on your mind is gone.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:56 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It does matter." I put my hands on his chest and try to push away from him.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:59 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

As you try to push away, he leans in and captures your lips. It isn't a devouring kiss or even a particularly lustful one. He just draws you close and kisses you, his mouth barely moving on yours.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12:09 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Then, slowly, his mouth does begin to move. He pulls me closer to him and gently places one hand on the side of my face. I am so surprised I cannot even think to move away until several seconds later. I have never been kissed like that before in my life. Of course I had been kissed, but never like that. The only word I can think of to describe it is...loving. So I just stand there, stunned into silence by his apparent emotions. "You can't love me." I whisper eventually.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:10 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I can try." He whispers back, kissing you again, this time with a little more passion.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:19 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

A strange feeling starts in the bottom of my stomach, and I am more terrified by that feeling than I am of him. I pull away with a small gasp. "Don't do this. Please."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 5:01 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He won't listen. Instead he kisses your cheek, and then your neck, but without any tongue this time so you're not worried about slobber. At last he reaches your shoulder and kisses you there, still holding you against him.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 6:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The demon inside me insists that the _master_ has the privilege of doing whatever he wants to me, but my rational mind argues furiously with it. The feeling in my stomach creeps slowly lower, making me squirm in discomfort. This side of him is much softer and warmer than anything I've ever seen before. The demon purrs with satisfaction as his lips return to my neck, but my eyes become wide and I try to slip my hands up to push him away.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Hush," He whispers, his breath brushing your skin. He kisses you again, just a soft press of lips, before he moves to the other side of your neck. His hands are running slowly through your hair.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The demon lets my breath slide out of my mouth in a small sigh. No one had ever before had their fingers in my hair like this. His lips kissed my neck with so much passion that it scared me. The dark beast inside me knew I wasn't leaving until the master had satisfied all his desires, but every other part of me refuses to accept it. I frantically clung to the hope that he would soon release me and I could leave this room and never come back...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:47 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He keeps one hand tangled in your hair, cupping your skull, while the other hand goes to the shoulder of your dress. He begins toying with it, inching it slowly off until it starts to hang.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I can only watch the fabric slide off my shoulder for a moment. I feel breathless and dizzy, but I fight through my senses and manage to whisper, "No. Please no. Please." I didn't feel ashamed of begging. I was so afraid of all the things my body was feeling I would do anything. Anything to escape this.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 7:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Hush," He whispers again. "Hush." He's sucking softly at your earlobe, and then seconds later he is kissing you, almost devouring you, like he is drowning and you are air, and you can save him. Then you're stumbling backwards, towards the wide sumptuous bed..."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I whimper softly as a startling heartbeat starts somewhere that is definitely not my heart. "Do not be afraid, Anna." He says before pressing his lips to my collarbone and forcing my back down onto the blankets.  
His words cannot quiet my fear, and my quiet begging does not stop until the end. He did things to my body that no one else had done before. I was lost in a wild current of feelings and I was helpless in their powerful wake. He took my emotions so high, and now it was suddenly gone.  
I cling to him, breathing hard. I was shooting back down to this place and time and I was afraid of crashing. I needed someone to catch me or I would break into a thousand pieces...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:21 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula holds you back just as tightly, whispering soft meaningless things that soothe you into oblivion. He follows you down, surrendering himself to sleep with a faint smile.

* * *

Oh dear. Consensual rape. Problematic. Tune in next time for Anna's emo response!


	4. The Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

Redjegger: Beautifully written? Oh, stop it! You're making me blush:)

Jimmy-barnes-13: Thank you! I appreciate your willingness to read the story in a strange format. Just think about what I said to another reviewer: Your intelligence is higher if you can comprehend a story with different points of view and in email format!

You may all celebrate because this is the last chapter I will submit in email format. The rest of it is written solely by me, and it is easier to read. Yay! Also, thank you immensely for the reviews! I had no idea anyone would like it:)

Happy New Year, everybody!

* * *

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The first thing I do up on opening my eyes is grab the cup of blood I can smell. I devour it hungrily, not thinking rationally until I put the cup down. When I do begin to think, the thoughts start slowly. Dracula. Last night. This bed. Had..._I_ done that? My face burns with horrified shame. He had raped me and I had let him. I could no longer call Verona and Aleera wh0res because now I was one. I felt so abused and violated that I choked, hot tears springing to my eyes.  
I would let myself cry this time. Here I was, the last of the Valerious, warming Dracula's bed. I knew suddenly that he had won. He would keep me here until the end of time and my family would be eternally damned to purgatory. I have lost. I have failed. My back begins to shake with sobs and I cover my face with my hands.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:41 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula stirs a bit at your movement and throws an arm around you, lazily drawing you closer. He makes a soft sound in his throat not unlike a purr, and the demon in you is comforted at the sound. The _master_ is saying he doesn't want you to be upset.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Tears flow down my face, the hurt and sense of failure too overwhelming for the demon to rule my actions. The demon had played its part in undoing my sanity and I would never listen to it again. I was a slt. I had let one man destroy hundreds of years of fighting and loss. All of that was undone now. It was my fault. My weakness had undone everything my family had struggled for.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 9:30 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula sits up, sensing your continued distress. He moves to kiss your tear-stained cheek, thinking to soothe you the way he did the night before.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Wednesday, July 19, 2006 9:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Please don't touch me. Please." I whisper between sobs. If he does, I might just go crazy or start screaming or worse...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 8:57 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He moves away from you, uncertain of what to do now that you won't let him touch you.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:07 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

After a few more minutes of real crying, I sit up, silent tears still streaming down my face. I fling off the blankets and stand up, not caring how much of me is exposed in the process. I pick up my clothes and pull them on hastily, wiping my face on one of the gown's long sleeves.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:09 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula says nothing, but stands himself and puts on his own clothes. He appears to have decided it would be better to let you go your own way.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:16 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I stumble to the door and try to pull it open. It's locked. Of course it is locked. Why allow the fair virgin any chance of escape? "Open the door." I hiccup, my voice oddly blank.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:27 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He flicks his wrist and the lock clicks open.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:33 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I pull open the door and swiftly exit. I don't remember how I got to my room, but I opened that door too. I crawled into the bed and rested my head on the pillows. I feel so cold and tired. So miserable and hopeless that I can never be happy again...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:41 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You hear your door open and don't even bother to see who it is until you sense someone sitting near you on the bed.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:45 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I lift up my head slowly and try to make my voice as even and toneless as possible, "What do you want?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:45 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I came to see how you are." I say. "I take that the answer is not well."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:47 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I am fine." I answer slowly. "Is that all?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:51 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I came to ask if there is anything I can do to make it easier for you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:57 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You can take me home." I stare at you, my face completely void of emotion.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:08 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"That is the one thing I can't do, no matter how much either of us wishes I could."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:12 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Then there is nothing..." I lie back down and pull the blankets up to my neck.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:19 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I hesitate after hearing this. "I think there is something I can do for you, if you come with me."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:23 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Very well." I pull myself into a standing position, hoping you'll leave me alone if I resign myself to quiet compliance.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:35 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I lead you down stairs this time, down into the lower parts of the castle. At last we reach what must be the dungeon. "Go to the end of the row and look in the last cell." I say softly, remaining on the steps.  
You do as you are told, and your heart stops at the sight of who is sitting in said cell. "Velkan!"  
He looks up immediately. "Anna? My God, Anna!" He leaps up and clings to the bar so that you're face to face.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:39 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Velkan!" I burst into tears again. He shouldn't be so glad to see me. "Velkan, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I grip the bars, ashamed that he can see my like this.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 12:40 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't cry, don't cry." He murmurs, putting his hands over yours. "Your hands are so cold." He murmurs. "How did you get here? What happened?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 12:45 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He took me, Velkan. Van Helsing had come to help me, and we went to try and kill him, but he bit me. He killed me Velkan, I couldn't stop him. I'm so sorry." I try to choke back my tears.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 1:10 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You mean... you're a...?" He takes a shuddering breath. "Don't cry. Please, don't cry. You'll make me cry. There's still hope. I'm still alive, if I can kill Dracula then our family will be saved."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 1:21 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I couldn't bear to tell him that I didn't have any hope left. I just nodded and wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry, Velkan. I don't know what to do. What should we do?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 4:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"For now, nothing. An opportunity will present itself. It will. It has too."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 4:58 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I cannot do nothing. I can't leave you here, like this..." My heart aches at the sight of him in almost nothing, living in a cold, damp cell.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 4:59 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You have to. You have to stay out there and not worry about me and find a way to kill Dracula."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 5:04 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I knew he was right and I felt comforted by his words. I wish he could hold me. I needed to be held so badly. I nod with a sad, but determined look on my face, "Yes. I will."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 5:17 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Velkan manages to get close enough to you to give you a kiss on the forehead. "You should probably go."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 5:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Goodbye..." I whisper, walking quickly away before I begin to cry again. I stop as I brush past you. I almost thank you, but then I remember that it was you who sent me to _him_ last night. I continue on steadily, back towards my room.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 8:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I don't follow you or make an attempt to speak. You pass Aleera on the way to your room and she takes one look at you then flees with an angry sob.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 8:12 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Back under the heavy blankets in my room, I doze. The shame had been too much to lie awake with. I had set my head down on the pillows with strange emotions and thoughts crawling sluggishly through my mind. Seeing Velkan had probably kept me from weeping all day like a stupid girl. Yes, I had been hurt again by Dracula and his plots, but I wouldn't feel this now. I would cry later. Cry when he was dead...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:35 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

When you awaken later, you don't feel much better. You can't bring yourself to move from the bed. Maybe Velkan was wrong. What can you possibly do to stop a man who has you feeling this low?

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

How long had he wanted me? Why had I given in? Why had my betraying body allowed him to do such horrible thing, then enjoy it? I couldn't answer these questions or justify my actions with the answers. Even if Dracula was killed, I would die with him. And if I didn't, I couldn't live like this. I couldn't live knowing I was everything I hate and everything everyone I cared about hated.  
An idea flashes through me, and I hastily get up to put it into action. I walk quietly into the bathroom and pick up a hand mirror. I wrap it in a towel to stifle the noise, and snap it into several pieces. I grab the largest piece and slash savagely at my wrist. Only after I see the blood pour rapidly down my wrist do I move to cut the other. I hang my hands over the side of the bathtub and lean my head against it, feeling my energy quickly begin to fade.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Suddenly you realize that you are no longer alone. "That won't kill you." I hiss, dropping to my knees at your side and gripping your wrists to stop the blood flow.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Just let me die Verona. He'll find someone else to satisfy him." I murmur. "Please let me go."

-----Original Message-----  
From: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 8:45 AM  
Subject: Re: Home, Sweet Home

"This won't kill you. It will only weaken you. And I can't let you go- all of us can smell spilled blood miles off. Would you rather Aleera found you? Or the master? Or even one of the Dwergi?"

----- Original Message -----

**From:** Friday, July 21, 2006 9:41 AM

**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes, I want him to find me. What is he doing?" I mutter bitterly. "Celebrating his conquest?" I snarl, trying to wrench my wrists out of your grasp.

-----Original Message-----  
From: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 9:49 AM  
Subject: Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He is in the hall with the children. Mourning."

----- Original Message -----

**From:** Friday, July 21, 2006 12:14 PM

**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I laugh bitterly. "Of course. Why aren't you there with him? I'm sure Aleera is there."

-----Original Message-----  
From: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:18 PM  
Subject: Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'm here because someone needs to look after you."

----- Original Message -----

**From:** Friday, July 21, 2006 12:43 PM

**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Why? If I can't kill myself with anything in here then why do you care what I do?"

-----Original Message-----  
From: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:46 PM  
Subject: Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If I told you, you would do what we fear."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Friday, July 21, 2006 12:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I am silent, wondering what they would fear? They SHOULD fear me, but they don't. "What do you fear?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Friday, July 21, 2006 12:57 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"If I told you, you would do it."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 6:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I raise an eyebrow. "If this won't kill me, then why are you trying to stop the bleeding?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:01 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I won't answer. Instead I make a low growling noise and after a few moments a Dwergi comes lumbering in. I speak a few words of its language and it begins to tear strips out of my dress. Once I see that he has enough, I send him on his way. I let go of your left wrist, carefully putting it over the bathtub, and then rapidly bandage the other. This done, I bandage the other. All the while I'm remembering times when I used to do things like this, such desperate meaningless things. What I cannot remember is when I gave up on fighting.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Once you finish bandaging my wrists, I pull them out of your grasp and let them fall to my sides. "Are you going to stay here and watch me?" I ask quietly.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Until you go to sleep, yes. If I leave you'll tear off the bandages and do it again."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"But it won't kill me. You said it yourself. Or was that a lie?" I ask, using the bathtub to pull myself up.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:39 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"It won't kill you." I reply evenly, standing as well.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:42 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Then why stay?" I ask angrily, "Surely you'd rather be mourning your disgusting children with...him."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:45 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I growl low in my throat when I hear you say that. "I do not have to explain anything to you. I will stay if for no other reason than that it will cause you frustration."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:52 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

After thinking of about thirty new insults to scream at you, I walk slowly back into the bedroom, sighing sadly. What good will it do? I crawl under the covers again, hugging a pillow close to me. "Can vampires have nightmares?" I mumble. Is there any way I can forget about all of this? Even if the ignorance is just temporarily?

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 8:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"We do not dream." I say, standing at the door to the bathroom.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I close my eyes in a slow, defeated way. The broken, dead feeling fills me again and I fight not to let the tears in my eyes fall onto the pillow. "How could you have led me to him last night when you knew what he would do?" I whisper.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:14 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I had no choice. I am as much in his power as you. If I had a choice, I would've killed you at the ball."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You had a choice. Christ, Verona, if you don't like obeying his every goddamn wish then leave. That is the only way he wants women. As slaves."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:33 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I have tried to leave. He has always brought me back."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:37 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"How? He said he wouldn't use violence on a bride. If you really wanted to you could."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:43 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I have wanted to, and I have tried, and he has brought me back. And violence is not the only way to subdue someone, as you saw last night. His cruelest power is making you want and hate him at the same time."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I don't want him. I won't ever want him." I squeeze the pillow harder. I wanted to sound decisive and angry, but I sounded so quiet and pitiful. No wonder you feel sorry for me. Hell, I feel sorry for me.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:02 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You did last night. As must as you wish you didn't, you did."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The tears fell down my cheeks. "And that is why I want to die." I breathe, my head feeling heavy.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Now do you see why I won't try to run anymore?" I ask softly.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I don't answer. I'm not sure what I see through all of this. The constant fear of being here, the ache inside me left over from the previous night, and the blood loss are all catching up with me. I feel exhausted like I have never felt before. If vampires cannot suffer through nightmares, then what is all this?

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You should rest." I say. "You need it. Your body is still changing."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:37 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

If I sleep, she'll leave...I give into my body's fatigue and try to sleep. Dark and frightened memories of the night before keep stirring inside my eyelids, and then I become very glad that vampires cannot dream...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Once I am certain from the stillness of your body that you are sleeping, I return to the hall where my children sleep. Familiar waves of sorrow wash over me as I walk down row after row, my hand sometimes straying to touch a sac. I always take it away with a small inward sigh at how cold they are. Vlad says that having you as part of the family will bring these children to life. Perhaps he is right. It is not for me to judge. But I know that for now seeing you every day, watching you struggle to cope with this new existence, will serve only as a potent reminder of how empty this castle is and how empty I have become.  
"You always seem so sad, Verona." He says as I approach. Aleera is nearby on the ground, crying softly and tugging at her dress like a fretful child.  
"Does the master wish me to smile more often?" I ask.  
"Only if you want to smile."  
"I do." I say simply, but inside I'm cold and sick with sorrow. I wish I could smile. It's just become so hard. A simple expression costs me too much effort.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Saturday, July 22, 2006 11:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He runs the back of his fingers over your arm, his eyes lingering on the hem of your dress. "What happened?" He asks softly, as if he already knows the answer.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 9:16 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Anna hurt herself. I bandaged the cuts with my dress."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 12:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"So she is not well?" His voice has no emotion in it, as it usually does.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 6:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No, she is not." Mine is equally toneless.  
"Ungrateful wretch." Aleera says, her voice still choked by tears. "She doesn't realize what she's been granted."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 9:49 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Hush," Dracula says, looking off into the distance.  
"Master!" She cries. "Why do you have her here? She does not love you as I do!" She sobs, reaching her arm out toward him, then slowly taking it back toward her.  
"Aleera, you are not the only one to ever have been hurt." Dracula says coldly, his patience with her running out. "Verona has had to watch three other women join our family and she never behaved as you do now." His words were so full of anger that he could have shouted them and created the same frightened expression in Aleera's eyes.  
Aleera just buries her face in her hands and Dracula walks a few feet away, as if he wants to get away from her to think.  
Her emotions stir a strange feeling in you. Aleera is the closest thing you've ever had to a child. And she is still so young...You walk over to her slowly. "Stand up. Stop crying." You say softly.  
She stands up and grabs you around the waist, pressing her face to your shoulder. You wrap your arms around her and stroke her hair gently. "He is not angry with you. He is just worried."  
"You are just saying that because he loves you more than he loves me..." she whimpers.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:16 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'm saying it because it is true." I whisper, making a soft purring noise. "Now stop these tears. It would not do to have the children see us cry. How can you be a good mother to them when you are so much a child yourself? Will you behave this way whenever they do something to displease you?"  
Aleera jerks away from me at this. Her perfect lips part in a slight snarl, her eyes turning pink as her fangs show themselves. With her tear-stained face and wild expression, she looks like a cornered animal. "You can afford to be so confident, so mature. You've had the master to yourself before, for however brief a time. You know he loves you. I have always had to share his love! I only want something to be mine, and mine alone!" With an angry shriek, she transforms and flies from the room, leaving me standing alone.  
My body feels strange where she was pressed against it- we were slightly warmer there, and I feel a certain loss without the contact now. I wrap my arms around myself, hoping to make up for it.  
Dracula comes to stand behind me, his arms around my waist. "Is it worse to have something and to lose it, or to never possess it at all?" I ask quietly.  
"Ignore her." He sighs, turning me around so he can cup my cheek. "She does not understand. It is hard to understand."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:27 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Verona..." He murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. "I want so much for my family to be happy together. I want to see the women I love smile." He holds you close to him, bending slightly to bury his face in your neck. It reminds you of the submissive, needy way Aleera had held you just a few minutes before.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:44 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

For once, I allow myself to relax against him. An old, dull flame sparks inside me, one that will never truly die. It is the memory of those first days, the days Aleera will never forgive me for, the days when it was only Vlad and I in the entirety of this cold dark castle. Those fleeting days when my hatred had faded at last, when I found myself able to love him. The days before the first dead child was born, when we knelt on the floor and screamed at the abomination. A week after that, Vlad brought Aleera home. Now the dead children of three dead wives line these halls, and I wonder if when they are born we will know which ones are ours, or if we will share them as we share their husband. Will Marishka's babies be orphans? It is a disconcerting thought. I'd always loved Marishka more than I loved Aleera. I find myself missing her sometimes.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

His arms tighten around you as he picks up on your thoughts. "I love you, Verona. I love you for being so many things I can only try to be. Tell me you need me as I need you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 8:54 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Of course I do." I respond, burying my face in his shoulder. "How could you doubt me?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 9:08 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

He sighs and kisses your neck. "Verona, forgive me. My other two brides are unhappy with me. I needed to hear you say that."  
He straightens up, but still holds you against him, "What shall I do with them, my love? I do not wish for them to be hurt."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 9:24 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"As far as Anna is concerned, give her space and time. She doesn't need you following her around. I will watch her in your stead. As for Aleera... I fear she will never be truly happy with Anna and I here. She makes no secret of the fact that she wants you to herself. Go spend time with her, make her believe that she is your only bride if only for a little while."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 9:36 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes. That is what I should do." He agrees. "But I do not know how long I can tolerate Aleera's jealous behavior."  
"You are the only one that can make it stop, my lord."  
"I know." He kisses your head. "Then I shall leave you." He gives you a long, but sweet, kiss and walks swiftly from the room.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 9:44 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I remain where I am, staring at row after row of dead children. It will never work, I realize. And if it does, it will be centuries from now. Whenever you finally break down and stop fighting. Whenever you finally become like me. And even then, your brother remains. Just as suddenly, it comes to me. I know what I must do.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 9:51 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

When I open my eyes again, I know it is the next evening. The only reason I know this is because I feel as if I am being consumed by hunger. The pain from the hunger is slightly more tolerable than before, but not significantly. I sit up, staring around for the cup that is always next to me when I wake up.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:20 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Not wanting to disappoint, the cup is there. You drink it as quickly as possible, trying not to taste it and enjoy the taste, and then wonder what to do with yourself. You still feel like curling up in a small ball and refusing to face the world, but a deeper part of you is disgusted with your weakness. _Don't sit there pitying yourself,_ It says. _Get up and do something about it._

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:29 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

But what can I do? Screaming and trying to run away doesn't work! I sit back. Why does he like me? Because I present a challenge. So to get him to leave me alone, I have to be...obedient. If I behave like a good bride, no one will have to watch me and I can have some chance of escape!  
I fling the covers off of me and rush into the bathroom. I wash my face and brush my hair. I even dare to try and apply make up without being able to see my reflection in the mirror. Then I fumble through the various drawers, finding them full of sparkling jewelry. I put on a necklace and a couple bracelets and rings. There. Now I must look exactly how he wants his women to look.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:45 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

The only trouble is, now that you're looking for Dracula you can't seem to find him. You wander aimlessly around the castle and see only Dwergi, and see no sign of any more intelligent life- or even of Aleera. Eventually, your wanderings bring you back down to the dungeon. You hesitate a moment before going to visit Velkan. He is curled up on the floor of his cell, fast asleep.  
"Wake up." You murmur, shaking the bars a bit. "Velkan, wake up!"  
"What do you want?" He says gruffly. "Oh, it's you."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:52 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Velkan, I know what to do."  
"What?" He pushes himself up off the dirty floor.  
"I'm going to behave. I'm going to be what a bride is supposed to be. Then, when they leave me alone, I can get us out of here." I grip the cold bars in my hands.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 2:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"That's your plan? To escape? Now, when we're at the heart of our enemy's keep?" He stands directly in front of you, his hands also on the bars. "I'm sorry, but I am not leaving this place until Dracula is dead."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 2:18 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"We can come back, Velkan! And unless you can kill him yourself, we need to find another werewolf that can help us."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 2:31 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"We'll never have this opportunity again, Anna. If we run we'll never get back in. They'll never accept you as a bride again, and I know that you don't want that right now but if you can stand to keep this charade up, you could end up with the golden opportunity to kill Verona and Aleera. You can give me an opportunity to get out and kill Dracula. We can't give this up."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 3:04 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I nod. "I'll try. But...yes, I'll try." I can't explain to him what it is like to be dressed up like this and have the Count clean dried blood off your neck with his tongue...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 6:11 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Good. Have you thought of anything since you saw me last?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 8:19 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Just that." I lean my head against one of the bars. Just that and how horrible I feel for being a slt. "But how are you? Aren't you cold?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:01 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Freezing. But I've gotten used to it." He grins.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:06 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"I'll get you a blanket. Are you hungry?" What could I get him to eat? Could I roast a Dwergi? They must taste horrible...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:14 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't worry, they keep me fed." His eyes turn a little darker. "They go hunting in the forest. Deer mostly. You get the blood, I get the carcass."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:20 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I am silent for a moment. I never thanked him for sacrificing himself to save me from the werewolf. Maybe I don't have to. But this is not the right time for those kinds of emotions. "I'll be right back." I say, turning from him and quickly walking up the stairs.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:23 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You run into me as you're heading up the stairs. "You look very pretty." I say mildly. "You have been to see your brother, I presume."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:28 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

My first instinct is to snarl, 'So what if I have?' However, this is not what a bride would say. "Thank you." I manage. "And yes." I continue up the stairs towards my room.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:45 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

As much as you'd want to hide it, I see the savage impulse flicker through your eyes and the demon in me senses hostility. What is more alarming is the way you attempt to hide it. My suspicions are aroused immediately- it took me decades to stop fighting. What could happen in one night that would so totally change you? My eyes narrowed, I continue down the narrow staircase into the dungeon.  
"Back so soon-" He starts to say, but that's before he breathes in my scent. "What brings you down here, Mistress?" He asks coldly.  
"Can't I come and visit a lonely prisoner?"  
"Not without a reason."  
"My, you and your sister are so alike. So untrusting." I say calmly. My mind is bent inward, searching for my master. Once I find his mind I reach out to it. _There is something I must do. Distract our youngest for as long as you can, then bring her to me. You will know when_.  
After briefly reading my mind, Dracula understands what I am about to do. In a matter of moments he will find you, and then it will be too late. I almost regret this.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:54 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

After scooping up all of the blankets from my bed, I turn back towards the dungeon. The pile of blankets in my arms is so large that I can barely see over them. As I walk down the hall, I see Dracula appear out of nowhere and stand directly in my way. I shift the blankets around in my arms uncomfortably. "Hello."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:55 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"My dear, whatever are you doing with those blankets?" He asks in an amused tone. "Come, let me help you to carry some."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 10:59 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I try to make my voice sound normal, "I have been to see my brother. He is cold and I told him I would bring him some blankets." His amusement is not only infuriating, but embarrassing. How can he talk to me like that after what he did to me??

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Yes, but you need not feel cold as well. Let us take these back to your rooms and put them down and I will take you to find some more for Velkan."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:03 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I will be obedient, I will! "Very well." Copying Verona's favorite saying must be good behavior.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Dracula seems to swallow this, leading you back to your room and instructing you to drop all the blankets on your bed. You wouldn't have believed he was this gullible before, but you aren't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead you just follow him obediently to another room on the same floor.  
"Marishka's old room." He says with quiet sorrow. "We may take these blankets, I think."  
You strip the bed, with Dracula helping you. He takes one half and you take the other, and together you go back down to the dungeon. While you're on the slick stairs you hear a soft snarl and then a hiss. You feel suddenly cold, but it has nothing to do with the air around you. What exactly was I doing down there before when you went back up to get the blankets?  
All the sudden the scent of blood reaches you. You drop your blankets and burst into the dungeon in time to see me drop Velkan from where I was holding him. The knife in my hand drips with red.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Monday, July 24, 2006 11:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I am so stunned I don't even gasp. "Velkan..." I run over to him, grabbing his shoulders. The knife wasn't silver. It couldn't be silver. They wanted to keep him around to mock him and make him do their bidding!! Hysteria sweeps over my mind as I stare at the wound, watching the blood spill out of it and onto the icy floor.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 8:54 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Velkan senses your nearness and manages to force his head to turn so that he's facing you. He smiles briefly, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth, and extends his hand towards you before his entire body goes slack.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:09 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

His death seems to be physically impairing, because I don't cry. I don't scream. I don't fight. I just look up at you, "Why?"

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:18 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"He would've destroyed us."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:28 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"No," I shake my head slowly. I stand up and walk away Velkan's body. It hasn't hit me yet. And I don't want to be here when it does.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:35 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I watch you carefully, inwardly praying that my plan will work. I acted in an uncharacteristically rash way, and I realize that now- this will either break you, or it will make you all the more murderous.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:54 AM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I walk slowly to my room. I lay down onto the bed. My mind seems to be frozen on the image of his body because that's all I can think about. My chest aches. I can't think. Everything I feel seems to come in short, harsh spurts of emotion.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 7:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You stand to leave your room and begin to wander through the castle, trying to find a way to make yourself understand what just happened. Could Velkan really be dead? Was it possible? He'd always been there, even before you were born. Your wandering leads you higher and higher in the castle, far away from the body that couldn't possibly be Velkan. At last you reach a beautiful hallway where starlight comes in through floor length stained glass windows. When you come to stand before one, you can look down and see the rocky chasm that separates Castle Dracula from the rest of the world.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 7:29 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

That's how I feel right now. Separated from everything. What am I going to do? My family is now eternally doomed to purgatory. But if I commit suicide, I'm going to hell. I lean my head against one of the windows. I'm afraid of hell. I'm afraid that if I do kill myself I'll eliminate the slim chance of escape. Even if I stay here for one hundred years, I could eventually leave. I could still try to find a way to save my family.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:15 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Don't think of jumping." I say softly, coming to stand behind you. "The fall will not kill you."  
"I don't ever want to see you again!" You shriek, rounding on me. "You killed him, you murdering b!tch!"  
You scream every obscenity you can think of at me, calling me a slt and a wh0re more times than you can count and you attempt to attack me but I catch and hold your wrists. You jerk away, backing towards the window.  
"I didn't want to kill myself before you came here, but looking at you makes it seem so much easier. I'd never want to be like you. That's too high a price."  
"I will never let you go through that window, Anna Valerious. You insulted me for a minute straight, and it's my turn now. I'd say I'd kill you for what you've said, what you've done to my family and what you still want to do, but that would give you what you wish for most, and so I will say this: _no matter what happens, no matter what you do or say, I WILL SAVE YOU. I will keep you alive if I have to spend every moment of every day at your side. _You are damned to eternity, Anna, eternity as a wh0re like me."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:25 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I feel the blow of Velkan's death and of your words like a battering ram to the stomach. The rage boils and froths inside me. "Goddamn you, Verona!"  
"He already has."  
I storm past you. Velkan would never have died if I hadn't come here. My anger should be for the one who brought me here.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:34 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

You find him pressed against the hallway outside your room with Aleera doing the pressing, kissing him open-mouthed and making a low growling noise in her throat.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:41 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I put my hand on her shoulder and rip her away from him. I am actually surprised at how far she stumbles backward. I rake my nails over the side of his face, but he doesn't even blink. "Why would you do this to me?? Why would you let her kill him??" I shriek.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:00 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Because I should've done it before I even turned you. She made a mistake in showing you where he was- you had already started collaborating to bring about our demise. It was his life or ours."

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:08 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

His apathy only makes me angrier, "You don't even care! You don't care that he was the only thing in this hell that was keeping me sane! You stupid bastard, you son of a b!tch!" I beat my fists against his chest and kick my legs into his shins. I swear and try to hurt him in every way possible for several minutes, but suddenly I realize it isn't any use. He isn't even flinching. My rage suddenly flows out of me and I burst into hot, bitter tears.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:13 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"You forget that I cannot care, Anna." He says quietly. In moments he is gone, leaving you to collapse to your knees and cry.  
"How dare you say those things to the master?!" Aleera hisses. She's crouched nearby, staring at you with fangs protruding from her mouth.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:22 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

"Think about someone besides yourself and that demon you call master! How dare I mourn for my last remaining family member?? And why do you defend him? He doesn't love you, Aleera!" I cry, standing up shakily. He was all I had. Now I am alone. No one will come for me.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:32 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

She lets out a piercing shriek at this and flies at you, transformed, her talons ready to rake across your face.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:40 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

I fly backwards and the pain sears through my face as she hits me. I am crushed into the wall and I hear something snap. Stars dance in front of my vision and I vaguely hear her screeching about how I am just jealous...

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Arwen  
**To:** Anna  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:46 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

Then there is another sound of breaking bone and Aleera is thrown aside. A deep, bone-shaking roar fills the hallway and you're filled with instant terror. The master is clearly not happy.

----- Original Message -----  
**From:** Anna  
**To:** Arwen  
**Sent:** Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:53 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Home, Sweet Home

A sharp pain fills my chest as I try to breathe. That snap must have been a rib or two. I can feel something trickling out of my mouth and I know it is blood. Dammit. I try to push myself up and away from the roar, but my side throbs stubbornly. I feel my ribcage with my hand, and something feels very wrong.


	5. The Enlightenment

**Author's Note:**

Okay, guys, I'm kinda torn here. I have I think one or two more chapters already written, and then it gets to the point where you actually have to bother me to write more. So should I just submit everything I have at once or break it into sections so that I get reviews on each section? **I want your opinion!**

Texknight1234567: You can't comment on the plot? At LEAST I update quickly? Oh dear! Are you not enjoying the plot? I hope my writing will please you more...

This whole part is written only by me! No more sharing the glory with Countess Verona Dracula! A little less confusing, non?

I know the chapter is much shorter than the other ones. I didn't want to hit you with too much complicated plot at once. Being bamboozled is not entertaining. At least not to me it isn't...

* * *

A deep bass rings across the hallway, scolding Aleera in a language unknown to me. Dracula steps closer to me, his eyes blazing blue and his teeth sharp and jagged. My eyes widen and I frantically scoot away from him, but he quickly grabs my arm and jerks me up. His grip on my forearm makes me wince. My knees brush the cold ground as my free hand grabs my injured side. "Why do you provoke her?" He shouts 

I stare up at him with a frightened expression. Words freeze in my throat and blood pounds in my temple. I am going to die. I will bleed internally and no one will be able to stop it. My hysterical mind, still confused by Velkan's death and Verona's proclamation, shoots ideas past me, but I can't hold onto any given thought.  
Dracula's eyes abruptly stop glowing. "You are hurt." He gently pulls me into his arms and carries me swiftly into a dark room across the hall.

My demon was delighted that the _master _had decided to take care of me. My lungs ached as he set me down. I could feel them laboring even with their wound. I felt light-headed and afraid as his cool hands grasped my stomach.

"No…" I breathe in protest, but his hands travel higher, feeling my contorted ribcage. He shouts instructions over his shoulder to Verona. I can hear Aleera whimpering apologetically, "Master...Master….." she begs for his attention from the doorway of the room.  
"Your repeated insolence greatly angers me, Aleera. Leave us at once." He snarls, turning briefly to her.  
Aleera begins to cry softly as she glides away. Her sorrow seems to echo somehow, making her seem as though she is still with us. "You must feed, Anna." Dracula pulls my waning attention back to him.  
"I won't—" I manage to moan through the throbbing of my side.  
"Yes, you must. You cannot heal very well because you are so young." He pauses, brushing a strand of hair off of my face. "Perhaps this will teach you not to tell Aleera anything she does not wish to hear."

I close my eyes, turning my head away from his hands. My throat felt as if it was closing, making breathing more and more difficult. Someone sweeps into the room and a cup is quickly pressed to my lips. The blood sloshes against my lips and my demon writhes with desire. The smell is so intoxicating…  
A strong arm wraps itself around my back and my arm, pulling me against its body. My head falls backward and my lips open to allow the hot, thick blood to pour into my mouth. My demon drinks hungrily, savoring every drop until, suddenly, none are left. When my eyes open, the _master_ is there, peering down at me with a whisper of concern across his countenance.

My lips press together to thank him by whispering his name, "M—" I blink again and he is gone. Dracula appears in his place, holding me much too closely. "—y God!" I recover clumsily, squirming to get out of his grasp.  
He releases me and rises slowly, turning to Verona. Her expression is almost bored, apparently unaffected by my injury or her husband's reaction to it. He deftly slips his arm around her waist and pulls her close to him. She frowns as he whispers something into her ear. "I will not apologize for your actions, my lord."  
He steps back slowly, gazing at her face with her serene composure. "As you wish."

They stare at each other for a long moment. I take advantage of their silence to gather my wits about me. I am lying on a large bed in a bedroom. The room looks unused, but clean. Once I realize I am in no immediate danger, the thoughts that had plagued me before my ribs had been broken return. Velkan is dead. My brother, the one who has always been with me, is gone.  
If he is dead, then the last of the Valerious has been killed. My family is doomed forever to purgatory. My insides become cold with fear and sorrow. What have I done?  
Tears begin to stream down my cheeks and shock begins to grip me. Every death my family has suffered has been for nothing. My failure, my misdeed has caused it. If I had been able to stay alive, there would still have been a chance. Now there is none. Now there is no brighter side of death. I will never see them again and they will never see paradise…because of me…

My hands shake and my vision blurs. I was sobbing uncontrollably, but I couldn't think of any reason to stop. My chest felt hollow and raw, as if my heart had been cut out of my body. I could have forgotten the rape if only Velkan had stayed alive. Velkan had kept me sane. Now what was left? What was to keep me from becoming one of them? The thought of my absolute and total isolation comes to me again. I have no one now. I am doomed to this punishment until the end of time.

Suddenly, lips are kissing my forehead and arms are circling around me. I hadn't seen him move. "Anna, you must calm yourself. All that can come from hysterics is exhaustion and more tears."  
I gasp and attempt to choke an angry reply, but he sits on the bed and pulls me into his arms. My head is pressed to his firm, black coat and I hear faint murmuring. He murmurs soft words to me in Romanian, and I almost try to hold back my tears to hear what he is saying.  
All of my hope falls down my cheeks in tears. I cry for an immeasurable amount of time, mourning all of the Valerious' and the fate I have forced upon their wandering souls. Why has God punished me? Had I not given every moment of my existence to serving him? Had I not pleaded endlessly for his help in prayer? He had forsaken me. God cannot love the damned.

Eventually, my tears stop coming. My emotions gradually die down, leaving me with only strange hiccups every minute or so. The ache in my chest spread to my entire body, making me weak and helpless in Dracula's arms.  
His cool hand moves slowly up and down my back. "I hate seeing you so upset, my love." He whispers, moving slightly to kiss my moist cheek. "What can I do to soothe you?"  
"Nothing." I am too tired to try and avoid his lips.  
"Surely there is something."  
"You have taken everything from me, Count. I find it strange you wish to give me anything" I thought I did not have the strength to sound angry, but I was wrong.  
"I will not deny that I have taken from you, Anna." He kisses my lips softly. "But I have given you much more than you have lost."  
Tears suddenly fill my eyes. "That is a lie." I snarl.  
"Is it? I have given you a home, a family, a husband who loves you. Soon you will bear my child and know they joys of motherhood. Women dream of their children, and you shall have many."  
A mild fear washes over my body. I could never have his child. I could never give birth to one of those slimy, monstrous creatures…"I will claw out my own stomach if a child is conceived!"

"No, Anna." His arms tighten around me almost painfully. He forces my chin up so that our eyes meet. "You must not hurt our child, Anna. When you are expecting, I will do whatever is necessary to keep you and the baby safe. The child will be mine, as well as yours, and you will learn to love it as you will learn to love me."

"I will never love you." I mutter defiantly.  
"Only because you will not try." He exhales loudly through his nose. "If you put half of the energy you usually use to hate me into an attempt to try and love me then you would love me."  
"I cannot love you. You have caused every hardship I have ever had to face." I try meekly to push away from him.  
His strong arms prevent me from moving at all. "Then imagine I am just a normal man. Just a man who loves you and wishes you to love him. Then would you try to love me?"  
"No."  
"Why is that?"  
"You have no morals. We have nothing in common. God prohibits polygamy and lechery and everything you epitomize." I say, quoting my father's old criticism.  
Dracula is silent for a moment. His hand continues to move up and down my back. He has no defense for this? Has he not been accused of this before?

After a short while, Dracula asks softly. "Does God want Christians to be happy?"  
"Yes."  
"Tell me, have you ever heard of the First Council of Nicaea?"  
"…No."  
"The Council met in the year three hundred and twenty-five. The council convened just as Christianity was beginning to emerge as the dominant religion in Europe. There they decided that Jesus Christ was divine."  
I blink confusedly. "Jesus Christ was divine before the council."  
"Was he? Was he truly the son of God?"  
"Yes. The Bible is God's word. The Bible says that Jesus was part of the holy trinity as the son of God."

"Anna, the Bible is not God's word. The Bible is a compilation of stories that supposedly tells the story of Jesus and his prophets, among other Christian anecdotes. Do you think all of the prophets could read and write? Perhaps they recounted the tales to scribes. Could not the scribes have written whatever they pleased? The illiterate prophets would not find an error. And there were many more books written for the Bible than were actually included. They were all submitted; some were added to God's holy book, and others were rejected."

I frown, irritated and insulted. "Are you trying to convince me that my religion is based on the whims of men who lived hundreds of years ago?"

"No." He leans his head against mine. "I am merely asking you to understand your beliefs. Now, you told me that God wishes his people to be happy."  
"He does…"

"In order for happiness to occur, all basic needs must be met. One cannot be happy without satisfying the need for food, water, shelter, and the desires of the flesh."

Despite my agitation and exhaustion, I blush. He chuckles and loosens his arms around me.

"To my knowledge, God does not wish for his people to die of starvation or dehydration. He does not want his people to be unsafe in tumultuous weather. Therefore, why should he want his followers to deny themselves the pleasures of the body?"

I fight through my embarrassment to refute his idea. "God wishes for us to wait until marriage to…satisfy…" I stutter, my confident rebuttal losing its strength.

"But why?"  
I scowl. Mary told me it is unwise to question God's will when I was a child. "Who are you to doubt the Lord?"  
He laughs softly. "The practical answer is to make sure that children have fathers. You may never have encountered such a problem in our fair village, but some men do not stay to see their children reach adulthood. Binding them to women with marriage is an excellent way to ensure families."

"I know this." I roll my eyes. My place on his lap is becoming increasing less comfortable…  
"As you already know, I long to see my children live." His hand runs slowly down my arm. "And if you desire it, we will be wed in time. I need no ceremony to prove my love for you, Anna." His rough, accented voice causes a strange sensation in my stomach.

"I will not marry you."  
"That is a shame. You would look stunning in a long white gown. I would buy you a gown made of diamonds if you wished it."

"You can't buy my affection." I say disgustedly.  
"That is true. But I can get you anything you desire. Dresses. Fine art. Jewelry. Anything you desire." He adds the slightest hint of innuendo to his soft voice.  
"I despise being treated as a doll."  
"I see. Perhaps you would like to travel. I will take you to every country in the world if that would make you smile. You could see Rome, Paris, London, New York…"  
I stare forward. Those places did sound intriguing, but not if he was to accompany me. "No?" He asks, sounding amused for some reason. "I would pay any sum to see you happy, Anna. Shall I buy your village a good physician? A sturdy home for every family? It is in our best interests to keep our gypsies happy."  
This proposition further confuses me. Would it be wrong to allow him to give my people the life they deserve? Isn't it better to accept a gift that would profit others? Would allowing him to give such a gift mean that I was being bought?

Dracula used my momentary distraction to his advantage. He lowers his hand to rest against the small of my back, pushing me gently so that I slide into the seat created by his crossed legs. Now that we are both facing the same direction, he is able to press his face against my hair and inhale while circling my waist with his arms. The entire gesture irritates me further and I tense my shoulders angrily.

"What have you to say to my suggestion? I think it most fitting for a princess to bestow upon her loyal subjects." He murmurs into my hair.  
"My people do not wish for mocking gifts from the monster they detest more than Satan." I snap.

"Must you see the darkness of every situation?" He asks, moving his mouth closer to my ear. "I have given you a great gift and you choose only to pity yourself."  
"You have cursed me." I say tonelessly, staring down but keeping my head still.  
"No, Anna. You do not see the opportunities you have before you. You are a beautiful, vibrant woman that will live forever. You have the ability to become extremely powerful physically, mentally, and financially. You live with one of the most influential men in Eastern Europe who wants nothing more than to see you pleased. You have the world at your fingers and all you can see are the reasons you should condemn yourself. He whispers. Somehow, his voice sounds much louder than a whisper, even though his deep voice does not rumble through his chest.

"I cannot enjoy those opportunities. The price is too high." I murmur.

"Allow yourself time to think. Your answers sound automatic. No one is here to tell you what you should and should not say. No one here will judge your piety or your moral standards."

"God is always watching." I counter without thinking. Are my answers automatic?

"Is he? Do you know that for a fact?"  
"No."  
"Then why do you live as though you are always being judged by God?"  
"Because it is my belief. Do not make yourself a hypocrite by disrespecting my beliefs."

He tightens his arms around me. "I meant that no one here will think less of you for acting on what you want instead of what you were told you should want." His breath on my neck rouses my demon from its dormant state. I can feel its drowsy excitement as it realizes how close I am to the _master_.

"I know you are ashamed of your desires, Anna." He murmurs, sending a shudder down my spine. "But how can I fulfill them if they are hidden from me?" He kisses my neck softly…longingly….My inner devil answers the _master's_ silent call, forcing my shoulders to relax and my head to slowly fall against his shoulder.  
My conscience screams as his lips kiss their way up to my cheek, but it is powerless against my demon. The demon has swelled to gigantic proportions, almost devouring my ability to think rationally. My heart beat quickens as I attempt to take control of my actions, but his lips on my skin and his hands on my waist destroy my concentration. My eyes close as he breathes over my cheek, "You will consider my offers?"  
The demon begs me to kiss him. It twists inside me, wanting just a taste of his lips. All I have to do is turn my head...

Mixed emotions churn inside me as I move my lips to meet his. The wanton beast is pleased, making me feel warm and blissful. The cold, grating guilt crashes angrily around my conscience, causing me to end the kiss abruptly. "Yes." I whisper, terrified of my own feelings.  
He immediately teleports to the side of the bed, standing straight and seeming just as imposing as ever. He smiles gently and bends to kiss my forehead, "Thank you." Then he is gone.

* * *

Now all of you go take cold showers! I don't want any h0rny reviews! Just normal ones, thank you. LOL. 


	6. The Queen's History

**Author's Note:**

Be sure to tell me what you think of Verona's history...

Charmes Malheureux: You know, the religious part of Van Helsing is quite messed up, as much as I love and treasure the movie. Anna is a gypsy, which means she should be pagan, but Stephen Sommers made her Catholic. Fine. So, being in Romania, she should be part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, circa the Great Schism. But the Eastern Orthodox peeps don't believe in Roman Catholic purgatory. Their purgatory is different and wouldn't work with the story. So. In this story, Anna is Eastern Orthodox, but believes in purgatory. When Dracula said 'Christians' he was reffering to what a Christan really is: someone who believes that Christ existed as the son of God, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm not religious. At all. I could very well be wrong. But I just thought it would be fun for Dracula to totally mess with Anna's perception of right and wrong. Hell, I'd let him. :) Thanks for the review! I like the demon too. How else would Anna ever do anything cool?

* * *

I sway slightly without his strong arms to support me. My thoughts swirl around my head like a thick fog. I cannot seem to understand any one feeling, whether it be indignation or contentment. The beast whines when it realizes the _master_ has left. It slinks away, and after its departure, I feel almost disheartened, as if my happiness had gone with it. I slowly lie back down onto the bed and close my eyes. If I can comprehend anything, it is my own fatigue.  
Once my eyes are closed, the ideas Dracula proposed come slowly back to me. Does God really support complete physical satisfaction? I can't remember the last time I read the Bible. I have taken it for granted that the interpretations given to me are the correct ones. What if God did support Dracula's argument? Then would I be damned for following his ideas? Am I already damned for being a…monster? Would God forgive my family if I managed to destroy him? I used to be so sure of my convictions. Before all of _this_ I could defend my beliefs to anyone. Is that what Dracula wanted? For me to crave his approval as I crave God's? I will never worship him as Aleera does. 

An uneasy sleep descends upon me. I know Verona said that vampires do not dream, but I have ideas on my lips when I open my eyes again. A doctor. He promised me a doctor. I sit up quickly, flashes of my childhood spinning through my brain. I had remembered my mother crying because her friend had died during childbirth. My brother's best friend had died of a strange illness none of us knew how to treat. The man with one arm in town had suffered through a painful amputation as a teenager….

Verona is sitting attentively in a dark velvet armchair. "How are you feeling?" She asks blankly.  
"Where is he?"  
"Vladislaus is working. He has only a few tasks to complete this night. Shall I tell him you wish to see him?" she raises an eyebrow. What does she think I want? How dare she judge me…  
"Yes."  
She closes her eyes, making that simple gesture seem elegant and refined. After a few seconds of silence, she informs me that he will be happy to receive me. "Come, I will take you to him."

As we wander down the halls, all I can notice is how graceful Verona walks. She almost glides. The ridiculously long dresses we wear probably make any movement seem fluid. I can't help but noticing how defeated she seems. Her face is constantly void of feeling, but something about the way she steps through over the icy floor makes me feel depressed.  
We soon reach Dracula's study. "_Grazie_, Verona." He says softly once we enter. Is that Italian? He gives her an approving look and smiles. I abruptly realize that Aleera lives to earn those looks. Verona bows stiffly, holding onto the same bored expression, and disappears from the room.

I walk forward several steps. The study is very long and dark, though I can't imagine Dracula needing much light. I do not feel as if my vision is impaired, but I can tell the room isn't well lit because there are only two, small lamps burning near an ornate desk. "What can I do for you, my love?" Dracula makes his accent thick as he walks slowly toward me, "Have you been lonely without me?" He is suddenly much closer to me, snaking one arm around my waist.  
I freeze, more embarrassment than fear welling up inside me. "I will accept your offer of a doctor for my people." I say rapidly. I concentrate on not moving to distract myself from any apprehension I still may possess. If I recoil from his touch, he will only try harder to make it understood that I am at his mercy.

"I shall write the letter immediately if you kiss me." He whispers, pressing his lips to my head.  
My heart pounds in my chest. I do not want to kiss him. The act of kissing him is not as offensive as the chance that the dark monster inside me may enjoy it.  
"You told me you would pay any sum to see me happy."  
"Silly me. I had hoped you had forgotten." He murmurs, making his words almost echo in my ears. Suddenly he is in front of me, taking my hands in his. I immediately look down, afraid that his gaze would give him control of my mind.  
"Anna," He says softly, "Please look at me."  
"No."  
He pauses. "Do you fear me?"  
"No." I answer hastily.  
"Then lust makes your heart throb."

I blush, "No."  
"I will not hurt you, Anna." He sounds painfully honest. I wish he sounded mocking or deceptive, but he did not.  
"You force me to act against my will." I retaliate weakly, staring down at my hands in his.  
"Never to hurt you." When I do not respond, he quickly searches my mind and discovers the constant anger simmering inside me. "Only your pride is hurt. Let go of the Valerious within you, Anna. Your prejudices cause you much more pain than I will ever inflict upon you!" He brings my hands up to his face and kisses each palm. "I will send for a doctor. It may take months for him to arrive, but he will come. Go now to Verona. She is waiting in her bedroom."  
The instant he drops my hands I walk swiftly out of the study and into the icy hallway. I will never release the Valerious in me. It will be there, telling me that I should be very offended by his comment about my lusting heart, cringing whenever Dracula comes too near, and convincing me that he means nothing when he claims that he will never harm me.  
I try to walk quickly, but quietly, back up to my room. If Verona wants to spend time with me so badly, she can find me herself. The need for revenge froths inside me. She had killed Velkan. She had killed Velkan this very night. How could I have forgotten, even for so brief a time?

"Anna." A quiet voice calls out to me from an open door. "Come here."  
I stop abruptly as the demon chastises me for not answering to my sister. My sister? I frown, irritated with the thoughts I never wished to have. "No."  
She appears in the middle of the doorway, seeming beautiful even in a state of bored attentiveness. "Why not?"  
My hands coil into fists. "How dare you question me."  
"How dare I?" Her eyes flash a brilliant green. "Thank your God for the fact that I am not allowed to hurt you. Now get inside." How terrifyingly ironic that such a stunning woman can sound so much like a tyrant.

I stand there, glaring at her darkly. Will she kill me as she killed Velkan? I cannot be in the same room with her without attacking that pale, arrogant face…  
She grabs my arm and pulls me into her room with surprising force. "Aleera will not find you here. She is very upset and will not follow the master's rules as I do. You will be safe here."  
I glance around the room quickly. Gauzy green drapes cascading over the posts of her bed make the room seem bigger, though it is already twice the size of mine. The room seems somehow bright and dark at the same time. A white armoire has been thrown open, revealing many, many dresses, most of them green. Emerald jewelry rests in satin-lined jewelry boxes, which cover a good portion of her dressing table. A few paintings line the walls. They look very old, very rare, and very expensive. A bookcase stands behind Verona's writing table, which has neat pieces of paper covering almost the entire surface. The room feels as though it should be covered in a thin layer of dust, with perhaps a clean trail between the bed, the desk, and the door. Even the fire burning in the stone grate cannot warm the frigid atmosphere.

"Sit." She commands softly, pointing to the chair in front of her jewelry boxes. "Dawn is approaching. Shall I tell you a story before you sleep?" She asks passively, sitting gracefully behind her writing desk.  
"You treat me like a child."  
"You are a child, Anna. You are only days old. An infant. Now you may sit in silence until the sun rises, or you may listen to a story."  
Her words sting and I look purposely away from her. I stare forward, my gaze falling on a large portrait of the Virgin Mother. I have the strange urge to prostrate myself at her blessed feet and beg for salvation. Or at least forgiveness. It is odd that Verona keeps a symbol of sacred motherhood when she knows she will never hold her living child.

"What do you wish to know?" She draws my attention back to her slender form as she picks up an ink pen and begins to write on a clean sheet of paper. Her writing is slow and poised, full of loopy letters and long sentences. I am abruptly aware that I should not be able to see so far.  
"Why did you come here?"

She pauses, keeping her eyes on her paper. "I did not come voluntarily."  
"You lie."  
"I do not." She slowly raises her head to meet my stare. "You are quick to judge."  
"I don't trust you."  
"You may always trust me to speak honestly. I value the truth very highly." When I don't respond, she continues with her story. "When I was young, I lived in Italy. I was to be wed to a young soldier my parents knew on my nineteenth birthday. They waited for him for nearly two years, but later we learned he had been killed by thieves just a day away from our home. A little over two years passed before my parents sent me to live with my mother's sister and her family in Venice. They were all determined to see me married." She pauses, as if remembering a feeling connected to her family. "In that time life was so different. I was very thin for the standards of my wealthy relatives. When I was a girl, the thin were looked down upon…very different than today, where we must wear undergarments to make us seem underfed." A hint of amusement crosses her face, but a smile cannot be stirred by her memories, "My cousins and I used to wear pillows underneath our dresses to make ourselves more curvaceous…"

I cannot imagine Verona as a young girl of so many years ago. I cannot imagine Verona laughing or smiling or enjoying her life for the sake of living. She always seems to transcend life into a strange existence between a saint and a devil. She begins speaking again, "Upon my family's orders, I attended many balls with my other unmarried cousins. After almost a year of continual parties, I met Vladislaus. He was so dark in a sea of color and life. How intriguing it was to watch such a man watch me from across the hall." She stares forward, running her thumb up and down over the pen in her hand. She places it on the table next to her paper. "He came to my uncle's home the very next evening. I never saw another night in Italy without him. Everywhere I went, every party I attended, every play I viewed, every walk I took, he was there. He followed me like a ghost, but I loved him. We spent time together at balls and at my uncle's home. Every night he would come, smiling and kissing me when my uncle's back was turned. My cousins teased us, calling him my white angel. _Il mio angelo bianco_."

The look in her eyes assuaged, revealing the most human Verona I had ever seen. "Perhaps a month after we had met, he told me to meet him at midnight near a river close to my home in Venice. I was foolish and young. I knew I would disobey my family by seeing him so late and unaccompanied, but I went. I thought he would propose or mke love to me, and I was willing to agree to either. If only I had not loved him so much…" Verona frowns, her past obsession now only a troubling memory. "You have never been in love, Anna. You have never known how love can consume you and how agreeable you are to your own destruction. Giving so much of yourself to one person can be so dangerous." Her eyes harden and she lowers her gaze. "We kissed in the moonlight. Vladislaus told me I was beautiful. My lovesick heart longed to hear him ask me to be his wife. 'I love you' he said to me. Then…'Will you love me forever?'….I said yes….'Stay with me always, Verona.'

I am so transfixed by her words that pity blossoms in my heart. I knew what came next in the story, and as much as Verona tried to mask it, telling me would be the most difficult for her. "I told him I would. He kissed my lips, and I felt his teeth cut me. I began to pull away…..but he held me so close…I screamed…." I see pain in her face. Pain she had pushed down until it had been eroded by time. She felt betrayed. Her trust in him had died. His love was everything she wanted and everything she had never wanted.

Her pain vanishes, and I can sense that she is displeased with her momentary weakness. "When I woke, I was here. Now go." I rose from my seat automatically, but I could not move from the room. The desire to comfort my sister rested on the scale, equaling the desire to return to my own room.

"Leave me." The severity of her voice tips the scale in favor of exiting and I waste no time in doing so. Verona is still sitting in her straight-backed chair when I close the door. Her harsh nature contradicts how hurt she is inside. I find myself crawling under the cold blankets of my bed after only a few minutes of wandering down icy halls. Has she ever confronted Dracula with her feelings? If she did, what was his response? Does he care? He acts as if he cares for his brides very much, and yet he cannot detect Verona's true emotions?

I lay my confused head across the pillow. Why do I pity her? She deserves only hatred. Hatred for what she has done to my family. Velkan. I had been distracted from his memory again. Before I can chastise myself for my forgetfulness, a strange emotion passes through me. Somehow, I know the sun is about to rise. Consciousness escapes from me and I am thrown into darkness.

When I am able to think again, the desire for food is so strong that I accept a hot chalice from the man next to me without any thought to who he is. After I drink, I discover that the man is my master. No, no, he is not the master. He is Dracula. I stiffen as he bends over me, his lips hovering near mine. "Have you a kiss for your husband?"  
"We are not married."  
He grins and sits back against the headboard. "Patience, Anna. I shall marry you when you are ready. For now, you must get up and make yourself even more beautiful. You will learn much tonight."

Aleera, her eyes swollen and red, scoffs and pulls her knees up to rest her heels against the edge of the dresser. Her back rests against the large mirror just above the dresser, but her reflection cannot be seen. In fact, I can see the bed and the rumpled blankets in the mirror's smooth surface, but neither I nor Dracula nor Aleera is visible. "You tease me, master."  
"I do not." He glances at her with a look of cold indifference. Is he still cross with her? "Come. Comb Anna's hair and tie it with a ribbon."  
"Why?" Aleera chokes out, stifling a sob.  
"She must have it back to wash her face and apply make up. You may do that as well."  
Aleera bites her lip, looking anxious and repentant. "Do as I say." Dracula's words cut through the cold air like a dagger, and a weak rush of fear courses through my stomach.

Aleera stands, retrieves a comb from one of the dresser drawers, and glides toward me, dread, anger, and shame all obvious in her movements. As she pulls the comb through my hair, I am horrified by her careful tugging and gentle grooming. I now know why Verona had kept me in her room the previous night. This submissive Aleera was almost more frightening than upset and jealous Aleera because I know what hides just beneath her compliance. Her hands were so near my neck that I could almost feel them tightening around my throat, or forcing my head back so that she or Dracula could drink from me.  
Dracula, noting my apprehension, rubs my arm in an attempt to soothe me. "She fears me, my lord," Aleera notes in a quiet voice.  
"Do not fear us, Anna. Aleera will be kind to you. She is your sister and will treat you with love."

I swallow, cringing as one of her long nails brushes my shoulder. She pulls my hair into a loose braid, tying it with a thin ribbon before walking around to the other side of the bed. She sits near Dracula, but keeps her head tilted down, ashamed at her ability to act civil towards me. "Please, Anna." Dracula murmurs, pulling the blankets away from my legs. I walk into the bathroom with my dress bundled in my hands to prevent myself from tripping.  
As I lather the soap, Dracula and Aleera begin to converse in hushed tones. "Why must you do this to me, my lord?" Aleera whines.  
"Your behavior is not acceptable."  
"I have done everything you asked, and I will continue to do so…"  
"You have promised me that before. Tales of your broken promises would fill many books, Aleera."

"I try, master, I try…I love you…" She begins to cry softly, and that same disgusted pity I found for Verona the previous night rises inside me again. He should not have made Aleera a bride. As fierce and tenacious as she is, she cannot control her feelings.  
I splash the warm water over my face. Aleera's crying is muffled, as though her face is pressed against Dracula's chest. "Aleera…I do not understand you. You did not act this way when Marishka joined our family."  
"Marishka loved you. She was grateful. She respected you. This princess…"

"I know. I know. Anna will learn."  
I dry my face slowly with a towel. They must know I can hear them. Did they rehearse this conversation? It does not seem like they did. "She does not want to please you. I do, master."  
"How do you know this?" He sounds as though he is grinning.  
"It is obvious!"  
"Anna." Dracula calls out to me. After a moment of hesitation, I decide to stand in the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom.  
"Do you love me?" Aleera grins at his question, her fingers laced in his.  
"No."  
"Do you wish to please me?"  
"No."  
"Do you desire my body?" Aleera snorts before cackling loudly.  
I frown. "No."  
"Ah, well. You were right, my love." Dracula draws Aleera close and kisses her red lips. She seems much happier now that he is giving her the attention she never stops craving.

After their brief, but passionate, kiss, Dracula instructs Aleera to help me apply rouge. They both seem to be focusing on each other and ignoring me, so I comply. The lipstick Aleera smoothes over my lips is far redder than any lipstick I have ever worn. "Rub your lips together, Anna." Dracula instructs, slipping an arm around Aleera's waist.  
"It is not necessary." I had the strange suspicion that Dracula would find such an action a little too pleasing…

"It is." Aleera insists, voicing her desire to be agreeable.  
"Rub you lips together or I shall do it for you."  
I put my hand over my lips to block his gaze. I will not allow him to enjoy such a harmless action.  
"She is as stubborn as an ass." Aleera comments.  
"You are just as stubborn."  
"I was never stubborn in the same way she is. Isn't that right, Princess?" She pinches my cheek and cackles.  
I step backwards towards the bathroom. I will stand there and allow her to paint my face, but I will not be mocked! Suddenly, cold hands press against my back to prevent me from colliding with their owner. "Are you through, my lord?" Verona's quiet voice asks from behind me, her hands falling away from me as I stop moving.

He straightens his posture, the slight gesture all the answer Verona needs. "Come, Anna."  
"Where are you going?" She turns, ignoring my question and walks to the front of the bedroom.  
"Go with her." Dracula states with his usual air of calm authority.

"Why?" She stares at me after opening the door. She must not like being questioned.  
Dracula appears at my side, "You need no reason to go other than I wish it. Go with Verona or I shall force you, _a mea micuţ măgar_."  
Aleera's snorts of laughter follow me out of the room. My little donkey? How can he ridicule me when he knows how much pain he has caused me!? I am so lost in my own fury that it seems as though only a second passes before Verona glides to a stop in front of me. The spacious hall we have come to has the distinct atmosphere of grandeur, and I can tell that this room was once used frequently for extravagant balls. A few banners still hang from a previous party, though the frost has caused the color to decay into a muted, lifeless shadow of its old vivacity.  
"Stay where you are." Verona commands in her usual quiet tone. Now, however, her voice is not tinged with boredom, which I find suspicious. She walks a few feet away from me, but turns around again and murmurs: "Come to me."

I roll my eyes. "What was the point of asking me to stay where I am?"  
"Come to me."  
I step forward, letting an exasperated sigh precede me. Before I can set my foot down, Verona stops me. "I did not tell you to walk."

"Then I cannot come to you." What is she doing? Why is she being so stupid?  
"Yes you can." She gazes at me serenely, and comprehension bursts inside me in a panicky rush. She wants me to teleport. She wants me to learn how to disappear in one place and reappear in another. She is trying to teach me how to be one of them. I step backward, "No, I cannot. I will not." I turn on my heel and march away, my dress billowing around my legs. I had attempted to hide my revulsion while I faced her, but I could not conceal it any longer.

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Ack! I only have one more section I can submit and then I have to start writing again! Oh no! I hope you guys are good with persistent encouragement... 


	7. The Lesson

**Author's Note:**

Vicky: Yes, that chapter did have a The Davinci (Da Vinci?) Code flavor, didn't it? That's because I borrowed several of the points they make. And also the Council of Nicea (Nicae?). They referenced that in DVC too. And thank you:)

Redjigger: Thank you! I lurvs Anna's demon. It's like that selfish little voice that whispers to take that last piece of cake even though you brother wants it. Heh hehe. And for your questions: Do you think Van Helsing would just let Dracula take Anna without a fight? His mission is STILL to kill Dracula and protect Anna. And he kinda failed on the second one, so he'll definitely try for the first one. And If you think about Anna's character, she can never really be friends with Dracula's brides, even if she is one. Verona and Anna just spend a lot of time together because Verona is the oldest and more of a mother figure and has to watch her or she'll commit suicide. Could you imagine Anna hanging out with Aleera!?

Texknight1234567: Action, you say? There will be lotsof action in the next chapter, I promise. ;) And the actions will, of course, be full of Anna's beast totally pwning her. And the hunt? You think Anna would willingly go hunt!? I don't. I think she'd rather starve than go hunt. But in the future there will be pleanty of hunt scenes. She can't depend on cups of blood forever...

This is literally all I have written. You got it all baby. Congratulations on staying with the story this long! Now if you want more you'll have to bother me. .

Also: Please don't hit me with a bunch of vampire facts. This is just my interpretation of how they do their stuff. I've read more vampire books than I can count, and I know ALL the different views on their powers. Just roll with the punches, okay:)

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"You will not?" Verona asks, somehow directly in front of me. "I suppose to you that would be a gesture of submission."  
I brush past her, determined to leave the hall. I will not let her harass me. "Do you fear that they will mock you if you interact with me willingly? Neither the master nor I will allow that to happen."  
"Your words mean nothing." I snarl, quickening my pace.  
Verona appears out of thin air, standing before the entrance of the hall. The doors swing shut and I suspect that even the walls of this castle are at her command. "Whether or not this exercise will offend your morals, you _will_ learn what I have to show you. You _will_ need these skills in the future and you _will_ thank me for helping you rather than leaving you to teach yourself. Our lord wishes you to be aware of your abilities, and I have decided to take that responsibility."  
"I do not want your help." I scowl, confused and upset by her apparent interest in me.  
"You may learn with myself or our husband. Choose." 

I glare at her, rage building inside me before I can decipher the precise reason for my anger. Why teach a pupil who does not wish to be taught? Why decide to concern yourself with an enemy? I do not want to learn to do what they do. I do not want to do things humans cannot do.  
I suddenly remember my previous encounter with Dracula. He had watched me from in front of two large doors, smirking at my frustration, and telling me to wait a few days to try and fly. It has been a few days, and I will fly. I will fly away from this hell the instant their backs are all turned. I will learn this, but only to aid my eventual escape. My pace is slow as I return to the spot on the frozen floor where I had stood just a minute before.

I expect to see a triumphant sneer across Verona's face when I look up again, but she has the decency to accept my obedience without a reaction. "To travel without walking is more difficult than transforming and flying. Those tasks will seem easier when you have mastered teleportation." She pauses. I might have though she was searching for words, but that would imply that she looked confused or unsure of herself. I have never seen either emotion on Verona's face.

"This will be difficult, but once you have learned, you will never forget. You must concentrate all of your energy inward into yourself and on your chosen destination. It is complicated to strike a balance between focusing on moving yourself and on the spot in which you wish to appear. As much as you will dislike it, allow some of the dark power you have only recently acquired to support you."

She straightens her posture, and I do the same. "Begin."  
I stare at her, the anger I had felt before still present, but subdued by her calm, lifeless voice. After a few seconds of silence, she tells me to close my eyes. "Concentrate on where you are and where you wish to go."  
I almost hesitate to close my eyes. In my mind, I can see the icy spot on the floor into which I hoped to teleport. There is a mysterious stain on that specific area that was too dark to be wine. It looked black, like old blood. What had happened in this hall? What horrific event had been committed in such a festive place?

A few minutes pass before Verona senses my wandering thoughts, "Concentrate, Anna."  
Her soft, yet firm words made her sound like a benevolent school teacher. Had she taught all of Dracula's brides? Did he ever bother to instruct them himself? "You are not trying, Anna."  
My mouth twists into a frown. Now she sounded like a mother, scolding an impertinent child. I thought hard about the enigmatic stain and about my cold feet standing upon it. With my eyes closed, I became more aware of the feel of my dress against my skin. My hair resting against my back, waiting to be released from the braid. I could hear Dwergi in a distant room, their strange gurgling voices raised in frustration. I suddenly thought of Velkan. His slack body laying on the floor of the dungeon, blood streaming from the wound _she_ had inflicted…

"Stupid fledgling." Verona snarls, gliding towards me. "Truly you are more foolish than Aleera if you cannot hold a thought on one idea for more than a few seconds." She pulls up the sleeve of her dress and raises a finger to her white skin. Her fingernail pierces her flesh, causing a dark droplet of blood to appear. She drags her fingernail along her arm until a long line of oozing blood mars the perfection of her thin arm. I inhale the metallic smell of the blood, and I feel the beast inside me rise with the swelling of my lungs.  
She, the _master's_ favorite, was offering blood, was she not? Is this not a gift? A sign of equality? The demon asked me these questions eagerly, as if expecting me to walk forward and drink from the inside of her elbow. "Quickly, Anna." She holds my upper arms in her cool hands. "Think about where you want to go."

The blood on her arm grazes my arm and the demon leaps with excitement. The spot! The strange blemish on the floor! I draw my thoughts into myself and the spot. I see my long dress brushing the edges of the dark, blood-like stain.

Abruptly, I cease to exist. I could deem myself asleep, but that state of being is too solid. Floating on the surface of a serene ocean could describe my feelings, but that is much too wet and tangible. I see nothing, except black emptiness. I feel nothing. I can't feel my dress or my hair, or Verona's hands, or the floor beneath me. I must be dead.  
And then, I am born again. I fall backward, slamming my back to the solid ground. Verona is there, kneeling to touch my shaking arms. "Anna. Sit up."  
I gaze up at her, shivering slightly, and allow her to pull me into a standing position. Where had I gone? What had she done to me? That feeling…the only time when I had come close to that feeling is when I had danced in front of death in the _master's_ arms at the ball…

"You are stronger than I had thought. I did not know you would succeed after such a short time." At her words, I stare down at my feet. The blood stain was still several feet away from me. Had I simply fallen?  
Verona relieves my confusion, "You traveled an inch or two back from where you originally stood. I saw you. Surely you felt the move. It is a distinct and uncomfortable sensation. Would you agree?"

I nod, still shaking. I had teleported only a few inches? I had seen Aleera and Verona disappear and reappear over one hundred feet apart. "Again Anna. Remember what you have just done and repeat the process."  
The second time I teleport, the empty consciousness that I experience does not seem as terrifying. I manage to reappear in front of my original position instead of behind it. The minutes tick by, and the only sound that reaches out through the frigid air of the hall is Verona's authoritative, "Again". I obey without protest, an embarrassing excitement creeping over me as my skill grows. I am soon able to travel to any place in the hall with minimal concentration. The demon basks in pleasure as I exercise its abilities, teleporting to wherever Verona pointed without apprehension.

I stop when Verona whispers, "Enough. You will exhaust yourself." As soon as the words left her lips, I do feel exhausted. My legs shook as though I had run miles in just a few minutes. I had the overwhelming urge to sit down, or even lie down on the cold floor. However, I turn my head towards the sound of feet and remember that there are others who reside in this castle…  
At that precise moment, Dracula and Aleera pass through the entrance of the hall, the doors swinging out and crashing against the icy banners on either side of the doorway. Aleera hangs on his arm, gazing only at his face, as though she still needed his attention after several minutes alone with him. It is obvious that they did not do what Aleera had been hoping to persuade him to do. She still had a hungry glow in her eyes that made her look almost feverish. "Anna, my darling! Have you learned anything from your beautiful instructor?" He gently brushes Aleera away from him and disappears. He reappears in front of me, kissing my cheek and encircling my waist with his arms.

I instinctually tense and raise my arms against him to push him away, but I stop. I close my eyes, trying to ignore his deep voice as it talks to me. I find it harder to concentrate in his proximity, but within seconds I find myself wobbling on a spot several feet away from him. I smile and turn to face him. This smile, the first real smile I had given to anyone in this forsaken manor, was not of happiness or amusement. This grin commemorates the first time I had evaded his strong arms as they tried to pull me against his body. I had triumphed over him! I glare at Dracula to watch his face fall in defeat.  
An amused smile plays over his lips, revealing his white teeth. He laughs. "Oh, Anna. You have won the battle, but I'm afraid you shall never win the war."

I raise an eyebrow and swallow the churlish remark that had sprung to my lips. He can taunt me all he likes, but I will be the one laughing when I fly out of this hell. Flying. I must learn to fly. Now. "Have you come to teach me how to fly?"  
His face melts into smug, knowing look. "I was only going to observe, but if you insist. I realize you must miss me after such a long separation." He strides towards me, his boots sending echoes through the hall. "Give me your hands."  
"Why?"  
"Give me your hands, Anna."  
"What are you going to do?"  
He reaches down and grabs the fingers of my left hand. "If I explain, you will not understand. Or you would refuse to understand."

Somewhere behind me, Aleera stands whispering to Verona. I can understand her hushed words so well that Aleera might as well have been murmuring in my ear. "…and he said he would not until…"  
I know Dracula is also able to hear her mutterings, but he ignores her. "Anna. Listen to me. Do not fight what I will…induce in you."  
Induce? Induce in me? "What are you talking about?"  
"As I have said, I shall not talk about it. It is difficult to understand. All you must do is not do what you always do: fight."  
"Let go of me." The more he speaks, the less I want to go through with this…  
"No, my love, no. This will be very easy if you do as I say. Would you be more at ease if I tell you what I am going to do?"  
I answer with a frustrated glare. "I thought I would not understand."

Dracula ignores my sarcasm, "By now you must be familiar with the creature inside you. That voice that magnifies your desires, no matter how wicked or sinful. The Christian, Valerious mind you possess must loathe it."  
I purposefully move my gaze to a point over his shoulder to avoid his eyes. A blush was blossoming in my cheeks, as though he murmured about childbirth or women's undergarments, or any other subject men had no business discussing.

At my silent blush, he continues. "I shall call this creature into the foreground of your mind and allow it to," He pauses, his free hand snaking its way around my waist, "shape your body in its own image." I feel his stiff, black jacket press against my chest and his lips graze my cheek. "Do you remember the catechisms forced onto you as a child? Genesis, chapter one, verse twenty-seven. That verse has always interested me. Recite it, Anna."

My mind flies suddenly back to when I was a girl. Candles burning in a dark room, my small wooden rosary clutched in my hand. My mother would recite bible verses and beg me to memorize them. We began on page one. The book of Genesis. "So God created man in his own image…in the image of God he created him…male and female he created them." My monotone frightens me, but impresses Dracula. "Very good, Anna. I see the brainwashing imposed upon you was thorough." He presses a gentle kiss to my cheek.

The memories of my mother startle me into immobility. But if God created man and woman in his image, then who do the damned resemble? A hot panic begins in my stomach, but my captor pulls me closer. "That question is so intriguing. What did the very first of our kind look like, and did our dark father create it in his own image?"  
A warm sensation begins in the hand that Dracula's fingers have closed over. The hot prickling creeps up my arm in strange, thin sections, as if the feeling is climbing towards my heart through my veins. "No." I whisper, trying to pull my hand away from him. What has he done? What will happen to me? And what dark father? Lucifer?

"The greatest paradox of nature is that the most beautiful creatures on this earth cannot see themselves. Almost equally contradictory is the fact that beasts can exist beneath the skin of beautiful women." The slumbering demon wakes at the touch of this hot sensation. I can feel the demon swell as it drinks in the burning feeling. It grows larger and larger, and with its growth my breathing become short and harsh.

"No. No, no, no." I pull away from him, his arms dropping to his sides. It was too late. He could not stop it, and neither could I. Nothing can stop it. My skin feels tight and dry and the demon longs to be rid of it. This body is no use to the beast. It is weak and must be replaced until it would be needed again. Pain rushes through my limbs, starting in the core of my stomach and branching outward. The beast presses against this skin, this frail, useless body, and waits.  
"Do not fight Anna." The master encourages me to give in and allow it a new body. "Show me the image in which I created you." What choice do I have? Hot pain bites my insides, suppressed and aggravated. The pain, I decide, will go out of me. I force the beast out of me, allowing it full reign to eliminate its unacceptable conditions.

I watch the skin on my arms swirl into a pale white in a dizzying tide of sensations. The demon breaks the bones in my body and repairs them, increasing their size and strength to accommodate its power. The pain now is only secondary to the nauseating power that erupts in my mind. The fangs in my mouth grow past my lower lip. My eyes begin to sting, and I faintly realize they must be glowing with the demon's victory. Something bursts from my back and I gasp, the pain doubling me over to stare at the white claws that have replaced my feet.  
The sound of great wings flapping draws me into a standing position. I feel simultaneously awkward steady, and I cry out in confusion. The master will help me! I need him. My cry sounds so wild and animalistic that when I hear the master's reply, I cannot help but wonder why a demonic cry does not return my shriek. "Anna! You must fly now." The master grins, a glint of excitement in his eyes. Excitement? Why should he look so…triumphant? What had he won? The beast's radiant power fades when I realize that he has triumphed over me. He was staring at the last princess of the Valerious clan as his monstrous concubine. The more I think rationally, the less the beast can control my body.

I abruptly realize that all of this dark energy had to return to my normal body. But how could it, when all the power I possess is hardly contained in this enlarged, bestial form? Fear sweeps over me, a cold emotion to subdue the hot, boiling power of my demon. I try to push the beast's power out of me, continuing what Dracula had started. But my confidence and raw emotion waned in the presence of my shameful disgust. I could not longer keep my beast in this form. I feel my skin tighten again, forcing my demon back into its dormant state. The reversal of this painful process presents me with no more pain, but instead with an overwhelming sense of unrestraint. I had even less control over my return to my human body than I did in my mutation into the inhuman body.

My energy crashes in around me and my knees hit the floor. The center of my body feels like a vacuum that forces the beast into a chamber where I could continue to restrain it. But too much of my stamina was leaving with the demon. My vision blurs, and then goes out, the sight of legs walking towards me disappearing as I fall into unconsciousness.

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Oh dear. Whoever comes up with the best scenario for Anna regaining consciousness might get it in the story! Review away! 


	8. The Spiral Downward

**Author's Note:**

Tala-Baby: Look for PLENTY of that next chapter. There will be lots to look for next chapter. -.-'

Charmes Malheureux: I think we are both a little right in regards to the religious/ethnic references to gypsy, so I shall let it lay. Lie? Goodness, I should know more grammar than that...but anyway, I'm sorry you don't like Aleera. I love Aleera. I would have been Aleera if I had not been deemed Anna. I love how selfish and single-minded she is. Thank you muchly for being nice about the first person and 'Stickbutt!' And in regards to your idea for chapter eight: That is a good idea, but I don't want to steal someone else's idea! Thank you for the suggestion, though.

Redjegger: Anna angst guaranteed here. She's full of it. Te he he. And Dracula will be feeding from Anna next chapter, I promise. :)

Jimmy-barnes-13: Fantastic? blush You don't have to come up with ideas if you keep telling me sweet things like that. .

Likenotyourbusiness: ...I love you...

Well, my wonderful reviewers, here is the next installment. There is a good lot of innuendo, but that's what the Dracula family is all about, no? Give me some good reviews please!

_You belong to me, my Snow White Queen_

* * *

Aleera's whine permeates the darkness, "But you must prefer my company in the bedroom, my lord."  
Dracula's deep voice chuckles. "You know I do not answer such questions."  
I open my eyes, the lids heavy and difficult to move. My blurry sight takes in the velvet upholstery of a soft divan. A warm blanket has been pulled up over my shoulders. Where am I? The memory of the banquet hall comes to me after only a few seconds. I had teleported. I had looked like one of them. Dracula had seen his triumph in its true form. Why had I given in? I did not even learn to fly! What good was allowing him such a sight? Shame and anger flare up inside me, but the pains in my stomach douse the heated emotions. 

"Now, Aleera. We know Vladislaus only tells you that to make you forget the question you asked. I believe he does prefer her company to yours." Verona's bland voice had the slightest tinge of mockery in it, as though feeling antagonistic was a foreign and distressing emotion.  
"Verona…" Dracula laughs again, a playful note clear in his remonstrance.  
"Master!" Aleera sounds scandalized, "You do not love me anymore!"  
"Of course I love you, you silly girl. Now be silent." He pauses. "Anna is awake. _Il mio amante bello_, will you help our poor child?"

I turn and sit up in time to see Verona disappear. She reappears dressed in a pale green silk robe. The embroidered flowers that climb up the seams flutter when she glides through the doorway. On the bed, Dracula reclines against the backboard in a pair of black pants and a soft black robe, open to reveal the white skin of his chest. Aleera, curled up against his side, rests comfortably in nothing at all. I stare down at myself to make sure I am not in an indecent state of dress. My cleavage, supported by the gaudy bride uniform, stares back up at me. For once, I am glad to be wearing a dress such as this.

"Please join us, Anna. How do you feel?" He raises the arm not draped over Aleera's shoulders and beckons for me.  
"No." What happened here when I slept? Do I want to know? Had I really been in the same room with such depravity?!  
"Oh, Anna is sad because she lost the opportunity to be loved by her family." He smirks.  
"She is glad to have been exempt!" Aleera's hand, which lies upon Dracula's chest, scratches his skin gently to draw his attention back to her.  
He graces Aleera with a quick glance. "Anna, Verona tells me you were an apt pupil."  
"Verona lied." I answer, not caring whether or not I told the truth.  
"My Verona never lies without my instruction to do so."  
I look towards the door at the opposite end of the room. If Aleera held him down, which she might if he tried to move in order to stop me, then I could leave the room. If he teleported away from her, I could teleport away from him…

"Is that by her choice or yours?" I ask, concentrating on the doorway as fast as my brain will allow. When I stand in the doorway only a second later, Verona's pale face emerges from the shadowy hallway. "Mine. Drink this" She thrusts a tall cup into my hands.  
I try to grab the cup and keep it from spilling out of habit. The hot blood spills over the side, dripping onto my hand. The crimson streaming down my skin immediately grabs my attention, and time seems to slow down as I watch it slide over my hand. The droplets splash against the icy floor and my mind needs several minutes to stare at the miniscule explosions. The beast inside me, always just a scent or a sight away, rises in me again, excited and hungry.  
Verona's indifferent palms push against my arms, forcing me back into the bedroom with the _master_ and my sister. Her powerful, yet careful shove brought my true character from the background the demon exiles it to. Had I just thought of Aleera as my sister? My _sister_? The rivulet of blood across my knuckles seems momentarily disgusting instead of appetizing, but the moment passes. My knees bend and I realize I am on the divan. She holds my hair and pulls my head up, not with the intention of causing pain, but simply of making it easier for me to drink.

She places the cup at my lips and my arms float up to it as I swallow mouthful after mouthful of blood. The image of a baby sucking greedily at his mother's chest comes to my mind, but it is distorted by the bright light of the demon's euphoria. When there is nothing for me to drink, the satiated monster retreats back to its seclusion, and I feel as though I have control over my actions again. I turn furious eyes towards Dracula and Aleera, who stare back at me as though they had witnessed an unimpressive stage performance. My eyes linger too long on the dark blue eyes of Count Dracula, for I jerk suddenly forward in a frightened attempt to run from him. Verona's seize my upper arms to prevent me from falling, but it is too late. I can feel his power bury itself into my brain, taking over my body in a matter of seconds.  
"Stay with us, Anna. We so long to spend time with you…" He smirks, skimming his fingers over Aleera's pale shoulder.

I make a disgusted noise and try to turn my head haughtily, but my head will not turn. Nor will my arms cross in irritation. So I sit, my hands resting folded in my lap instead of balled into fists. I make angry scoffs for several seconds, too full of wrath to articulate words. Verona stands and takes the empty cup back to the vanity she had sat before. She sits before it again, picks up a gold comb, and pulls the teeth through her long, ebony hair, still unfeeling in the presence of my anguish.

Dracula, apparently able to think clearly with a naked woman clutching his chest, continues to taunt me. "Is not your constant need to struggle against me tiring?"  
"Hatred gives me strength." I spit, staring forward at the embers in a stone fireplace at the opposite corner of the room.  
"Yes, but love gives even more strength." He rises, a dark shape in the corner of my eye, and Aleera whimpers in protest.  
"Familiarity breeds contempt."  
He chuckles, taking the seat next to me on the divan. "Does that clever phrase work both ways, my passionate Anna?"  
I frown at his sobriquet. "How can it?"  
"Have you ever heard of the idea that hatred and love are extremely similar emotions?"  
"No. That is a very stup—"  
"Hold your judgment, Anna. Think. I know you have trouble believing in an idea not taught to you by God or your mother, but listen to me."

I feel his invisible power turn my head towards him, and I fix a look of the utmost loathing upon my face. "I know you understand hatred. When you hate a person, they are all you think about. You obsess over this person, devising ways to make them feel what you feel in hopes of causing them pain. You spend your time and energy on them, laboring endlessly to bring them closer to you to cause them the pain you cannot forget."  
"You can't hate. You have no emotions." I snarl.  
"I remember hatred Anna. Now love…when you love another, it is impossible to think of any other person or place or object in the world. You want to bring them closer to make them feel what you feel as well, but you wish for them to be as happy as you are. Hate and love are intense, passionate sensations, and you, my untamed Anna, are so passionate."

He stares into my eyes and brushes his fingertips over my jaw line, and I suddenly feel as though the bottom of my stomach has dropped out. I could sense his beast, the demon inside him, very close to me, and it was overwhelming. Almost a picture in my mind's eyes, a massive figure was closing in on me, full of power, sex, and cold pain. So much of his dark energy clouded around me that I was startled when I found his face only a breath away from mine. His lips hovered over mine, but no hot air played across my mouth. "You are loyal…fearless…untamed…and so beautiful…"

Our lips meet, and the monster in me reaches out for his demon. So mysterious is this dark figure, but so tremendous and formidable that I cannot match up to it. Touching this devil inside the _master_ would consume me. Exhilarating, terrifying, but at the same time comforting is the presence of this colossal evil shadow. I pull away, praying that my thudding heart is the result of the demon's arousal and not my own.  
I stare forward again, breathing hard through my nose. "You taste of fear and lust." He kisses my cheek with his soft lips.  
"I hate you!" I turn even farther away from his face once I realize that I can do so. I try to stand up, but my legs remain immobile.

He chuckles, "Then at least I am in your thoughts."  
"You are repulsive." I twitch as his hand squeezes my thigh through the thin fabric of my dress.  
He sighs, sounding agitated instead of amused. "Stop pretending to be the perfect image of prudence and modesty. You are a woman and all women feel desire, especially wild gypsy girls."  
"You know nothing about me!"  
He grabs my chin and turns me to face him again. "My Anna, my naïve, inn0cent, virginal, Anna. I know more about you than you know about yourself. I can translate the confused tangle of emotions inside you that grows larger and larger every day, and yet you push me away. I can give you the most complete happiness you will ever achieve, but you choose to wallow in your own pity and soiled honor!" He sounds almost upset, but the quiet voice of his eldest bride draws his attention away from me. "My lord, will you assist me?"  
"What is it, Verona." Dracula asks, his voice full of irritation.  
Especially soothing, her soft accent responds, "I cannot remove this necklace without your help."

She had not been wearing a necklace when she had given me the cup. She had been combing her hair. She is distracting him to spare me from his frustration. He immediately goes to her and lifts her hair from the back of her neck. "You wear no necklace."  
"Forgive me. I seem to have absorbed some of my sister's covetousness." Verona is either truly embarrassed by this statement or a remarkable actress. Why does she try to help me like this? She does not envy the attention he forces upon me at all…  
Dracula closes his eyes and kisses the top of her head. "Only you can humble me."  
"I do not try." She takes the hand resting on her shoulder and kisses the palm. "Tell me, my love, what is Aleera thinking of? I have never heard such silence from her."  
I turn an apprehensive gaze towards Aleera. She relaxes against the sheets of the bed, staring at me with an inquisitive face, her mouth parted slightly. I blush, turning my eyes away from the white curves of her body. Why is she looking at me in such a way?  
"She is comparing herself to our young Anna….She wonders if perhaps Anna has….is more well-endowed than she is."  
I can feel my blush deepen into a darker stain of crimson as Verona laughs. "Only you would know, Vladislaus."

Dracula chuckles, and Aleera, realizing that she has become the topic of discussion, promptly begins to whine. "Master! You desire my body more than you desire hers! I know this!"  
He looks over at Aleera, who frowns and begins to pout. "Fine, then I shall leave you. You are nothing but a low, cowardly, selfish –"  
Aleera squeals suddenly as Dracula disappears from his position next to Verona and reappears next to the bed, grabbing at her waist and pulling her up to press against his exposed chest. They kiss with such ferocity that I am certain I will hear shrieks of pain from either of them if they do not stop soon. However, when their lips are apart again, all I hear is Dracula's murmur of, "I love your empty mind."  
"It is not empty! I am not brainless!"

"No, no. You are intelligent in more than one way. But you must not plague me with these complaints. You know how pretty you are. You know just what to do to make any man on this earth fall in love with you, and I still fall prey to your charms." He sighs, staring down at her as he lowers her back onto the bed.  
"Now, my love, I need some advice. Will you help me?" He asks, lavishing his energies upon her in hopes of soothing her injured conceit.  
"Yes, master, anything for you."  
He gives her a weak smile and continues, "My newest love is overly concerned with acting virtuous, and I very much wish to relieve her of such a burden."  
"You! You bas—"  
"Anna, my darling, please do not interrupt. I am speaking with Aleera and will be with you in a moment."  
He turns back to her, his mouth twitching with the effort not to grin. Damn him! Damn him and his arrogance!! "I wish to make her understand that there is no sin in pleasure. She would discover that I am correct if only she could give this idea more than a condemning thought."  
Aleera stares up at him, and I can see that she is trying to find a way to help him while still forcing him to pay attention to her. How can he 'love' such a mind! She thinks only of herself and her master and ways to bring those two beings even closer together! She is very unintelligent!

"Perhaps an act of extreme indulgence is necessary, master. Shock her until she is dough in your hands. Then you may shape her into whatever you wish."  
I had not anticipated this response. I had not expected her to actually consider an answer other than a plea for him to forget about me. Shameful fear rushes through me and I prepare myself to fight against deft hands or gentle caresses. Goddamn him!!  
"You answer as though you have an act in mind."  
"I do."  
"May I hear it?"  
She wraps her arms around her knees and pulls herself into a sitting position. Her long hair falls over her shoulders and grazes the sheet, the orange contrasting sharply with the cream colored bedding. "Let me play with her, my lord, while you watch. Imagine Boris Valerious' humiliation when he watches his daughter cry out at the hands of another woman."  
I gasp in horror, unable to hold my silence any longer. What? Surely such a sinful act is impossible! Two women together…? No! This is a joke! A disgusting untruth! However revolted I feel, Dracula looks pensive, as though he is giving the idea a serious thought! "Would you harm her?"

"If you do not wish it."  
"I do not wish it."  
"Yes, my lord."  
"You will be gentle?"  
My blush turns even darker, and I feel as though I might pass out from the dread and embarrassment welling up inside me. This cannot be happening to me! This thought has never even graced my worst nightmare! My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes, and I quickly wipe them away when I notice Verona's jaded gaze upon my face.  
"Yes. I will make sure she feels need."  
Dracula gazes down at her, and runs his thumb over her bottom lip. "I will allow you this only because it will please me greatly if you behave. But be warned, my Aleera, if you hurt Anna in any way, I will be very, very angry."  
I almost scream in fury and dismay, but he tightens his control over me, so that I cannot even wipe the tears away from my face. "Don't do this. Please." The familiar entreaty against his advances slips out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"I know you are afraid, Anna. But do not be alarmed. Aleera is quite skilled and will love you well."

My legs lift me from the divan and march my shaking body into Dracula's open arms, and the infuriated tears spilling down my face do not slow them. He lifts me and places me onto the bed, next to Aleera, who looks only to him. She is willing to go through with this only to please him. She willed him only to see her, and she would do anything to me to make her body and her pleasure more pronounced. My fear spikes and I shout. "I do not want this! This is wrong!"  
"Hush, Anna. You will be safe. I promise." He teleports away, and I cannot see where he has gone, but I am able to hear Verona's chair scoot backward as she stands up. Such trivial noises and promises, when such an ignominy lies before me…

"You are not so very ugly." Aleera tells me softly, crawling towards my unmoving body. "And do not worry. The master will not disrespect you if you crave my touch as much as you crave his." She lowers her head to mine, and I turn my head, almost breathless with anxiety. I cannot do this! I cannot allow her to do this! How dare he find satisfaction in such sin!  
She kisses my cheek, but quickly drags her t0ngue down to the place on my neck just above my pulse. She sucks my skin with her lips, kissing and nibbling my throat as her hand slips under me, pulling my torso up so that her breasts press against mine. But, just as I begin to cry, Verona's voice rips through the tense air. "Dawn approaches, Lord Dracula."  
As soon as the word 'dawn' leaves her lips, I feel a powerful pull in my stomach. The sun is only seconds away from rising, and my body desperately wants to sleep. Aleera pauses and looks over to him, still clutching me against her. "Master?"

Abruptly, I fall into darkness, full of guilty fright and thankful that I have gone mercifully into a place where I know no shame…

* * *

Am I the only one h0rny? Maybe I'm just a perv...REVIEW! 


	9. The Validation

**Author's Note:**

Jimmy-barnes-13: Well, thank you! This must be interesting too, I think. ;)

Mika: Aye aye, Captain!

Charmes Malheureux: Oh, come on. It isn't that gross. And Aleera is awesome, even if she wants to rape Anna. It's the one thing that can totally kill her spirit. And I think Aleera's pretty smart for figuring that out. Yeah, I had the bigger boobs idea in my mind for a while. I mean, if you think about it, Aleera's are obviously bigger than Anna's, but she might not think that if she's madly jealous. And see if I perpetually rock after you read this...

Texknight1234567: If Anna's been getting darker and darker, then this chapter is the epitome of darkness. Sweet. I really liked that review. It's cool. You're cool. Sweet.

Redjegger: I am the 'beast' at writing? Oh no:) But thank you. And this isn't a slash. This is the last chapter with Anna/Aleera or any sort of F/F innuendo or action. All the other slashes are straight. And I am amazed at Aleera's loyalty too. She's freaking terrifying.

Vicky: Finally! I had to have one reviewer get as turned 0n as I did. Everyone else was freaked out, but you're cool, Vicky. Here is your love scene. It's intense. I don't think this will teach Anna to be any less of a prude, but it snaps her out of it temporarily. Woot. Perverts unite!

Thank you for all the reviews, my wonderful fantastical reviewers! You guys are so hot, you make Brad Pitt faint just by winking at him.

**This chapter is fiction rated M for sexuality**. If you don't wanna read that, then close the browser window and go do something else. Don't complain to me that your virgin eyes are bleeding, okay? This took a lot of guts and I wanted to write it and I did. So there. It's my story. I hope you like it, but it won't kill me if you don't.

_Can't break the silence,  
It's breaking me...

* * *

_

When I find light again, I almost believe that I have become blind. After a few moments of sleepy confusion, I realize that I am so close to the neck of Count Vladislaus Dracula that my eyes almost touch his skin. I twitch and the arms around my waist flex. "Good evening, Princess." coos Aleera's thick accent.

A split second of panic gives me several facts about my surroundings. I am lying on a bed, presumably the one I had seen Aleera lounging on. My dress has disappeared, which leaves me naked and sandwiched between Dracula and Aleera, who both seem to have lost their clothes as well. One of my arms rests over Dracula's back, as if I had been holding him close, but sleep had loosened my grip. His arms extend past me, and his hands must press Aleera closer to him, leaving my body to be stuck between them. Never in my life would I have imagined that three people could fit together in such a manner, but the puzzle piece bodies seem to mesh together into one unit.

Absolute shock and horror fill me with such rapidity that I have to struggle to suppress a scream. What had they done to me? Where is my dress? Why am I pressed against a naked man!? And a naked woman at that! "Do not move. You will wake the master." She whispers. "And we would not want that, would we, sister?" Aleera's silky taunt reminds me of how delicate my position is. My back is slightly curved to fit into the bend of her body. Her flat stomach presses against my back, and I can tell that her mouth is somewhere around the base of my neck. The memory of her proposition to Dracula and the feel of her body arched to fit my body perfectly make me nauseas with fear. This sensation, combined with the mild hunger beginning in my stomach, is not an advantage in my present situation.

"While you have slept so peacefully, I have devised a plan to make you unattractive to the master." She holds me closer, kissing my back with the kiss of a lover.  
"Let go of me, Aleera." I try to keep my voice as even and calm as possible.  
"Listen to your future, darling baby sister. I shall ruin you by—"  
"He'll kill you." I murmur, hoping my breath will not startle Dracula.

"You are not listening." She presses her lips to my skin again. "I shall ruin your mind. I will make you as dead as Verona, and she does not entertain him anymore."  
"You cannot hurt me." My heart pounds as I wonder just how much Dracula could protect me if Aleera manipulated him into believing that she could supervise me alone.

She suddenly begins to speak in a savage whisper, "Bodily pain is only temporary. I shall destroy your mind. I saw the terror lurking behind your eyes as I came towards you last night. I will haunt your bed until you feel nothing. The master will know nothing except that the bride he made on pure impulse is displeasing to him."  
I swallow a sob of pure revulsion. Oh my God! "You cannot force me, you stupid wh0re." My answer is automatically tinged with frightened wrath.

"I will chain you to the bedpost until you begin to lust for me and need no chains. When that lust fades, you will have nothing left inside you. But for now…" I wince as her t0ngue slides across my back. "…you must remain silent. You would not want to rouse our husband." Her hands slide provocatively down my stomach and grip my hips. I freeze, becoming rigid with repulsion, and contemplate possible escapes. I cannot move Dracula's heavy arms without waking him, and even if I did wake him, would he stop Aleera? I would not survive this if he encouraged her!

While these futile thoughts circle through my brain, Aleera's fingertips glide over my stomach, hovering just above me, and grazing my skin as they travel up my body. Her t0ngue continues to caress the nape of my neck, moving somehow simultaneously slow and fast. I gasp when her fingernails skim the bottom curve of my breast, and I grab Dracula, choosing the lesser of two evils. He would be groggy and not ready to watch such a spectacle! He must be!  
The hand at my bosom abruptly vanishes and the mouth on my back ceases to move. "Aleera, not yet my love. Save your hunger to please me for later, please."

A sigh of relief passes through me, but I do not dare allow the breath out. He might mistake it for a sigh of happiness or unchecked attraction. His powerful arms tighten around his jealous bride, and I am smashed even closer against his body. A mild claustrophobia washes over me as I realize that I could suffocate. Though, since when do the dead need to breathe?  
"It is so nice to be held by a woman you love," Dracula's thick accent says into my ear just before his lips kiss my cheek.

"Let go of me." My high voice sounds distressed and nothing like the authoritative command I use when speaking to him.  
"Now, Anna. You must be hungry. Children are upset when they feel starved." He chuckles. "Verona, I believe we prepared a meal before we retired to bed."  
A soft voice comes from behind him,"It is here." I cannot see Verona rise from the bed, but I can feel the movement in the mattress. "Sit up, Anna."

At those words, the familiar state of being dominated seizes me again. My torso rises only because he moves my body upright. The blankets slip over me, and my hands are unable to stop them from revealing my chest to the cold air. Verona, impassive in the presence of my nakedness, holds the chalice to my mouth. The blood is cold and will have a different taste because of its temperature.  
"She will not drink, my lord."  
"Anna." His fingers touch my lower back in what he must imagine to be a loving touch. "Drink now or I shall allow Aleera to continue what I stopped."

My terrified mind will do anything to keep her away from me, so I gulp down the contents of the cup with as much speed as I can muster for such a task. I had hoped that the monster inside me could not find pleasure if I took so little time to do what it required, but I still feel its excited leap when I have finished drinking.

My back is lowered back down to the sheets by the invisible power he holds me in, and his arms envelop me, putting me back into the space I had been in moments before. Aleera drags the blankets back over our bodies and the humiliation settles back in as we settle into the same place on the mattress. The sharpened senses of the beast revel in the feel of his skin, but the other part of me cringes. Good God! "Where is my dress?"  
"I do not know."  
"It is behind your pillow." Aleera supplies before resting her cheek against my hair. I wish she would let go of me! I wish he would let go of me! I hope that no one ever touches me again!

"Why are you so anxious to be clothed again?" His deep voice rumbles in my ear.  
"Because I am uncomfortable."  
He laughs softly, "Are you truthful? You should not hide such a stunning body, Anna. You should share your loveliness with the world. Hiding it only sparks curiosity…"  
"But does revealing it spark other things, master?" Aleera's hand leaves my stomach, but I cannot see what it does. All I can see is Dracula's pale neck. She must have touched him, for he shifts his weight on the bed and answers, "I am but a man. Any man would respond to the sight of Anna's body."

"But why, my lord?" She murmurs in a low voice.  
"You speak in obscenities." I snarl, defending myself as much as I can in such a compromising situation.  
"I speak the truth. You may have been taught to pray for God to make you ugly and take temptation out of the hearts of the Christian men around you, but we do not worship God here. We enjoy our temptation and fulfill it."  
Truthfully, I had never been told to pray for that, but the stab at my religion is understood nonetheless. "How dare you—"

"Aleera, what did you ask me?" It is obvious that Dracula interrupts me to make me stop talking.  
"I only wonder what is it about Anna that fills you with such longing, master." Aleera's sultry whisper frightens me even more. When he does not respond, she continues, "Perhaps it is her soft skin…" His large hand suddenly touches my arm and slips down over my upper back, and I suspect that Aleera's hand placed it there. What is she doing? She despises the fact that he wants women other than her! She must be mocking me again, but what will this mockery lead to?!

His hand slides up my side, in a slow, pensive manner, as if he is literally determining whether or not he likes my skin. "Or, her shapely figure?" Aleera murmurs, putting his other hand on my lower back. This leaves her free to sit up, but her movement is the least of my worries. The hand on my back rubs lazy circles, and this constant movement arouses the demon that had been previously only hovering in the back of my mind.

The hand on my lower back slips down to the back of my thigh, and I flush with mortification. I realize in that instant why Aleera is seducing him in such a way. She has reasoned that if she cannot begin to destroy me now, she will have Dracula do it in her stead. Oh my God! No! Dracula's head moves so that I am not pinned into place by his neck, but his hand pulls my leg up and over his leg, putting me in the most shameful and disgusting position I have ever been in.  
I push my hands against his bare chest in protest, but my mouth will not release the cries of anger it holds. My beast has restricted my vocal cords so that I have no choice but to accept his all quietly. In this sickening position, I can feel more of Count Dracula than I ever wanted to feel. A stray hand, of which I am positive is Aleera's, is very close between us, and is stroking his thigh. I try to scream when I feel his hard organ pressing against my leg, but I cannot. I almost burst into horrified tears, but the monster swells inside me, suppressing my fear and replacing it with a curious excitement! Goddamn him! Goddamn this thing inside my head!!  
"Do her lips entrance you, master?" Aleera breathes. Obeying her request like a machine, Dracula moves his head even further back from me and stares at my mouth, a hot light emanating from his eyes. His strained voice answers finally answer her with two condemning words, "Leave us."

"I will not." The back of her hand brushes my thigh and I twitch. "I shall watch. Or join you."  
He sits up, a wild jerk of muscles, and I am abruptly free, physically and mentally. "You will leave when your master wishes it, Aleera."  
Before I can think, I reach over my head and grab at the mass of pillows near the headboard. After only one try, I find the gauzy fabric of the dress and yank it over my head as Dracula continues to argue. "Verona, take Aleera now!" His urgency makes my heart pound faster and harder than I have ever felt it beat.

"Master!" Aleera cries, but already her weight has left the bed. It takes only a second to sit up and pull the dress down to my stomach. I catch a vision of Verona shoving Aleera out of the door in front of them, and I swing my legs over the side of the bed. I can escape! A sparkling glimpse of hope fills my eyes, but the light dies when a rough hand grabs my upper arm. I gasp in surprise and pain as Dracula pulls me back to him, a crazed gleam dominating his gaze. "You will stay." He whispers. "That demonic being inside you will know me for the first time this night. You are still a virgin, Anna, and your master shall claim you tonight."

He winds his fingers into my hair and pulls my head back. I gasp as he ravishes my neck, biting at pulling at my skin with his teeth. He does not aim to draw blood, but when I realize what he is doing, I am just as shocked and overwhelmed as if he had begun to drink. The monster in my soul explodes, devouring everything in its path. Now, instead of repressing my morality and rationality, the beast has consumed them. They do not exist any longer. The Anna I know is gone. Only what this new Anna wanted would be done now. My fangs press against the inside of my mouth and my eyes begin to glow as this new person assumes the control it must have. I am this person. I will please my master, he will please me. And we begin now.

I bend away from the hand holding my head and kiss his lips. His hot t0ngue slips between my lips and cuts itself on my sharp teeth. I taste his blood in my mouth as our lips kiss so fiercely, and the hot excitement in me begins to throb. I grab his shoulders and push him down, ecstatic with knowing that I need more of him than I can have. His fingers slip up my legs and push the dress over my head. The momentary break of the kiss is far too long, and I press my lips down onto his again. Though I am above him now, I want to be below him. His skilled kisses only fill me with lust for a second more, for our places are quickly changed. He looms above me and stares at my body. A light perspiration starts on my temples when his eyes linger on me for longer than I can tolerate. "Master," I plead. "Touch me."

He runs his t0ngue over the skin above my heart, and I watch his head bend over me with wild tremors of desire. I moan, clutching the bedding in my hands while his mouth sucks gently towards more sensitive areas. He gently nibbles a firm bud, tasting and kissing my chest until I feel like crying out. His hand pays attention to the skin his mouth cannot attend to, torturing my body in ways I have never known. He blows gently on my quivering chest, making my body react even more to his touch. This is heaven. Why have I never felt this way before? Sweat makes his face begin to shine, and I understand the intensity of his lust as well as I understand the intensity as my own.

"You want me now." His deep voice sends a shudder through my burning body. "Yes!" I gasp as his mouth returns to mine. His hand slips down my body, spreading my legs with surprising control.. "Master!" My eyes close in the wake of my overpowering thirst for the feel of him inside me. "Please!"

He thrusts into my body, making my hips jump against his and sending a shock up my spine. My fingernails dig into his back as I try to hold him closer. Over and over again, our bodies move together in the ancient rhythm. Breathless shouts leave my lips as I sense something very powerful building in our bodies. I clutch him to me, trying to have the master as close to me as possible, but I cannot help hurting him in my passion. Dark blood drips from his back, clings in droplets to his side, and drops onto my stomach. The master's blood on me! Oh how I have denied myself! What ecstasy can there be more powerful than this?!

His soft moans, muffled into my neck, suddenly cease. He raises his head to stare down into my eyes. There an invisible connection is forged. My vision flickers, and the image of a woman comes to me. Her skin shimmers with sweat in the soft light. Her white chest heaves with ardor, but her dark hair cascades over the pillow in perfect stillness. Her eyes are a blazing red, and fangs peek seductively from behind crimson lips. How beautiful this woman is! How my body has longed to taste her and make her my own! Then the image flickers back to the master's sensuous face, and I realize that the woman is me. My mind is one with his. Our bodies and minds are fused together in an eternal bond. This thought sends my body to the pinnacle, and I gasp. His fangs sink into my neck, and we climax. My entire body bucks against his as a scream rips through my throat. Wild, feverish pleasure grips my body, and I know nothing but my master. The explosion of lust lasts for innumerable moments, and I do not return to my physical body until his tender lips leave my throat.

Absolutely void of energy, all I can tell him as he winds his arms around me is, "I love you."  
He pauses, staring down at me. "And I love you. Always remember that, Anna." A wave of happiness crashes down upon me as I drift into sleep. The master loves me. And I will never forget that.

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Did anybody skip down to the bottom to see if there was any actual story? Sorry. Not this chapter. Don't review if you're going to rag on me for putting little plot into this chapter. But go ahead and review if you have something nice to say! Thank you!

Be sure to tune in next week for Anna's reaction to her reckless abandon! 


	10. The Attempt

**Author's Note:**

jimmy-barnes-13: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too:)

Tala-baby: Yes, Verona and I decided that he is a very, very, very seductive and sexily hot man. He can seduce me any day. Stupid Anna. Thankies!

likenotyourbusiness: Aleera is smart! I think she is very smart in certain ways, even if people don't think so. Props to you!

Texknight1234567: You know, you'd think Anna would figure something like that out, but she isn't the brightest crayon in the box. But hey, she doesn't have to be. I mean, she's hot and can shoot a gun. What more do you need, right? LOL. No, none of us can say that we've been consensually raped and killed and horribly messed up by the son of the devil, so none of us can judge Anna's messed up actions. She develops something of a backbone in this chapter. Is that enough of a change for you?

Charmes Malheureux: Well, you missed a good one. . But I respect that. One of my best friends is Mormon and hates it when I say anything that isn't PG. This chapter is nudity free, so hopefully you can read and review this one, _non_?

redjegger: We aim to please! Glad I could turn you on, babycakes. ;)

DrusillaBraun: Yes, sir! Ma'am? LOL. Read and review please!

anonmilyous: Thank you! I have done a lot of thinking about this story, and I am glad at least one person can see it. Life does suck for Anna, but if I were in her place, I would be doing a lot less fighting and a lot more making out. Verona does have a sense of humor...or rather...what's left of one after four hundred depressing years...

Yes, yes, my faithful reviewers, I have returned. An absolutely hectic schedule has kept me from writing, which I hate very much, and now I have slowed down long enough to update. I don't really like this chapter because I had to write it in pieces and not in long stretches like I usually do. But I promise the next chapter will be absolutely AWESOME. I am am excited to write it and I hope I can continue soon...

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Rough fingers graze over my cheek. Count Dracula gazes down at his bedded bride, a faint smile forcing up the edges of his mouth. The bride that would have reveled in his loving touch sleeps soundly beneath my skin, satiated and warm with content. My emotions, however, seem to be canceling out the effect of one another. I cannot fear what he will do to me, because my embarrassment is too great. But I cannot be overly embarrassed, for the gentle happiness I found before I slept still lingers. The happiness is ruled over by shock, but the entire cycle begins again as I continually crawl back towards fear. These confusing phases produce silence, and so I lie, my body still heavy from sleep, in total quietude. 

"What are you thinking of?" his deep Romanian appeals to me, but I choose not to answer. I should feel angry. Ashamed. Dejected. But none of that comes when I think back to the moments before I had professed my false love. The word 'comatose' seems appropriate to my empty brain.  
Words came, but only after I heard them did I know what they were, "Please hand me my dress."

"Why?" His loud voice startles me, and my whispered reply is even softer than my previous request. "I feel cold."  
His hand pulls the thick blankets waded up near our feet up over my chest, "If I give you your clothing, you will leave. I wish for you to stay."

We do not speak for the next minute. I stare into his eyes, but he looks away after only a few moments. "Why do you wish me to stay?"  
He seems unnerved by my murmured inquiries, because his smug overconfidence has disappeared. "I love you and desire to hold you."

"What you feel for me is not love."

He frowns, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "I have very strong feelings towards you. You know this."  
"If you continue to refer to lust as love, it will only hurt the women you 'love.'"

"I have more than just lust for the women that live in this castle." His scowl reminds me of an arrogant prince agitated with the servant he forces into his bed.

I shake my head. "The way you treat Verona, Aleera, and myself is not the way a lover treats his spouse. Those in love accept each other for who they are. You want another Aleera, and you will treat me with the same affection you show Aleera until I am like her. But I will never be Aleera." I pause, but only for a second, "Nor can I learn to love a man who thinks only of himself. I cannot love a man who claims that I shall love him in time, but does not try to make me fall in love. Count Dracula, what you say, what you do, and what you want are all different, and for that…I pity you."

I slide away from his arms, and off of the bed. My dress, though crumpled on the icy floor, does not make me feel any colder as I slip it over my head. I walk from the room with many thoughts, but no destination for my moving feet. I do pity him. He wants so badly to have a conventional family, but he never will. He wants a wife and children, but cannot express love to anyone. He makes new brides to satisfy the lust in himself and in his demon, and uses the fledglings as surrogate children.

I soon find myself in a dark room. The torches are all extinguished, but I can still see a chair standing in the corner, veiled by dust. Once I am seated, I understand why I have so much clarity. The foul beast, exhausted and cheerful from the sex, is not battling my conscience in the struggle to control me. My conscience, catatonic with shock and humiliation, is incapable of taking command, which leaves nothing. No prejudices or suspicions cloud my mind, which enables me to discern things I normally would never have understood.

A few minutes pass. Or perhaps they do not. I hear no sounds nor see any movement while I sit in the dim room. I do not know if I prefer this state of numb comprehension because it is difficult to remember feeling any extreme. Suddenly Verona stands before me, "I do not know what you may have said to our Lord Dracula, but his reaction is most displeasing to Aleera."  
"What do you mean?"

She arches her eyebrow. "I mean that you have taken all of the lust out of him. Aleera is angry when she is confused, and a Vladislaus without lust is puzzling even to me."  
I stare up at her, remembering the lustful Vladislaus that I had known. "He will return."  
Her cold eyes narrow with suspicion. "You speak with a calm voice. Your words reek of nothing."  
"So do yours."

A line of tension streaks across her forehead, but it vanishes in the same second it appears. She sits in another chair somewhere behind me. We sit in the dark silence. Visions of my abandon in the bed of Count Dracula replay in my mind, but the passion that had made the moments seem so magical is absent. I still do not feel guilty, because I had not sinned. The demon had sinned, but the demon feels no guilt. This beast does whatever it pleases and allows no ideology to change what it wants.

Time passes. Dwergi chatter below. My eyes sting when I forget to blink. I remember that Verona sits with me only when she gently touches my arm. I rise, and we travel to my bedroom. She pulls back the blankets. I lie down. I sleep. I wake. I drink. She enters again, and combs my hair. She washes my face with cold water. All of the motions seem so trivial. "You are weaker than I had supposed, Anna Valerious." She comments, pulling my gaze up to meet hers with a cool hand under my chin.

Though at the time I do not take these words seriously, when I am seated again in another dark and dusty room, my thoughts function again. What did she mean? Why am I weaker? I am reminded of a time when Velkan had wrapped coarse rope up my arms and tied them together behind my back. We had been playing, but soon the blood had stopped coming and my arms began to ache. He had trouble remembering how to undo the knots, and we had not the sense to go to an adult. After much panic, he finally undid the ropes. I felt nothing for a brief moment, but then the blood came flooding back into my limbs. I had shouted and screamed so loudly at the pain that my brother thought he had somehow murdered me. But now, Verona's simple sentence had cut the ropes. I could feel the last moments of numb emotion ebbing away.

When I come to my senses again, I am already standing. Verona follows me to the bedroom I had shared with him. As I look from the divan to the bed, already made as though no intertwined bodies had mussed the sheets, the feelings rush through me. He had taken advantage of me and he had known I could not have resisted. He knew I did not have the strength to control myself, and he would brag that the Valerious girl had cried out at his touch. He could take this act, this wretched act covered in lies, and use it to tease and mock me. Anger, but not sadness, pumps through every vein in my body. Without thinking, I stoop and grab the divan, lifting it up over my head with both hands, and throw it against the wall. The wooden frame snaps in half, and the padding bursts out of the seat fabric. Verona does not stop me as I smash the bedside table. The loud noises crack the icy quietude of the castle and my rage climbs to even higher levels. How dare he? In this bed! He thinks he can win any woman behind closed doors, even the one who despises him more than anything she has ever known!

"Anna, stop!" Dracula pleads, rushing towards me as I place both hands under the mattress. I whirl around, pull my hand back, and slap my palm across his face. The resounding _smack_ seems to echo, but Verona does not speak or move. I should have made my hand a fist.  
"Don't touch me. Don't you dare touch me." I snarl, my voice quivering with rage.  
The pink hand print on his pale face seems to darken. He did not wince, frown, or even react to my slap. He takes on the tone one would use when talking to an overemotional toddler, "You must stop destroying the fur—"

"I will do whatever I goddamn please!" I shout. "Is that not what you do?"  
"Please calm down, Anna."  
"No! You knew what would happen! You knew you could manipulate me into acting like a wh0re!"  
"There is nothing wrong with how you acted towards me."  
"That wasn't me!" I scream, tears of fury spilling over my cheeks. "You never made love to me! You loved the beast, but you raped me!"  
His face falls visibly. "Anna…"

"No. Congratulations, you arrogant bstard! You bedded a helpless, childish monster and raped a woman you said you love!"  
With that, I storm out of the room. My anger still has not subsided after I reach my bedroom, but I manage not to demolish the furniture he is for some reason attached to. This is exactly what my father used to tell me after my mother had died. Do not be sorry, Anna, be angry. Hurt Dracula as much as he hurt you. But now I could take that even farther. I do not care what he does to me now, because there isn't anything left he can do to me. I can loathe him entirely without concern for my physical being because he has already killed me. And if he does kill me again, then nothing can be lost that has not already been lost.  
"You must never say what you said to him again." I spin around to see Verona standing near the entrance to my room.

"I will tell him whatever I choose for him to hear." I snap, turning away from her again. She cannot defend him. She does not even love him, no matter what she claims. Verona does not feel anything and it is a miracle she hasn't killed Aleera yet out of sheer annoyance.  
"No, you will not."  
"You cannot stop me! Do not act as if you care about him."  
The back of her thin hand collides with my head less than a second after I see her appear in front of me. I fall flat on my back, my skull slapping against the stone floor. Pain and nausea overwhelm me, but they are interrupted by Verona's hand on my neck. Her tight grip chokes me, but she pulls me up to stare at her blazing eyes. "You idiot girl. Even if I did not love him, you will do as I say. You will do what I tell you, do you understand? No one speaks to Count Dracula in that manner, especially not stupid fledglings like yourself."

She throws me back to the floor and vanishes. Dizzy instability suddenly grips me, and only when I have mastered the impulse to vomit do I stand again. My head begins to throb, and I wish that I had been just a little more compliant. I should have just consented and forgotten my obedient agreement.

I continue to fight the thudding headache for the next several minutes. Though, it could have been hours. The mysterious lack of clocks in this castle reminds me that I cannot seem to remember how long I have been here. It seems like months. Long, arduous months. I think about Velkan, about the previous night, about how my intense loathing of Count Dracula has only increased since I was brought here…

Some time later, the door opens. He steps into the room with a cautious gait. Is he angry? His face is as unemotional as his heart. "You were wrong to speak against me, Anna."  
I do not respond. "However, some of what you said holds truth. I have decided to formally present you to my friends and associates at ball that will be held in your honor."  
What? I am a trophy to be presented? No! I shall not have every vampire in Europe under the impression that I answer to Dracula! "No. I will not attend." I snap.  
"The party will be held in seven days time. You will help Verona and Aleera make the necessary arrangements."  
"No I will not!"

"I shall profess my love for you in front of an audience and make it known that you are mine. I am trying to express my feelings for you, my truculent Anna. Is this not what you wanted?"  
"You obviously know nothing about what I want!" I rise, angry confusion whirling around inside me. How can he think this is a solution? I do not ever want to be connected with this monster!

"I know exactly what you want, _dearest_ love of mine." His voice takes on a frightening, sarcastic tone. "I satisfy desires and still you are so hostile towards me!"  
I blush at his reference to the night before. "You may tell yourself that you pleased me, but both of us know that is a lie!"  
"Is that so?" His boots tread briskly across my room, "Then you believe that the scratches across my back appeared at the hands of another? Then you deny that the desperate arms that held me so close were yours?"

I turn away from him, infuriated and embarrassed by his piercing language. How dare he remind me of such artificial lust? I have done no wrong! I flinch as his hands grip my upper arms. He puts his mouth close to my ear and leans into me, his stiff jacket brushing against my back. "Yes, Anna. That was you. Your mouth let slip those three words that will haunt you until you finally accept your new life – I love you."

I hear him turn and walk out of the room, but I do not turn. Several seconds go by before a shaking gasp passes through my throat. I let the breath out slowly, wiping away the tears with my sleeve. I will not cry. I can cry when he is dead.

I am forced to come back to that declaration on numerous occasions over the next three days. I spend those three days in the hall with the icy hall where my beast had grown and shrunk so forcefully. I master teleportation and transformation. I drink what I am given to drink. I speak to no one, especially not the Count. The rigorous exercise brings about more changes within me, such as the need to just be touched by the _master_. When I lie on the floor or a bed in an exhausted daze after hours of attempted flying, my beast sends lazy thoughts and images to my mind's eye. I can see myself burying my face in the _master's_ neck and wrapping my arms around his chest. On other occasions I simply rest against him as he loops his arms casually around my waist. When most of these visions occur, I am too tired to banish them from my head, so I let them come and go at their own will.

I only see Dracula twice over those three days. The spondee occurs on the fourth day. The rhythm of the poem scribed in Castle Dracula is disrupted by a flurry of red hair and an excited giggle. I sit on a divan in a bright room full of candles, resting after another day of flying. Verona, who is still a great and constant annoyance, commented that I might soon be ready to hunt on my own. Needless to say, my response to that opinion was not positive.  
Dracula had entered a few minutes before Aleera's interruption and had asked, "How have you progressed?"

I had not graced him with an answer, but he conversed with Verona in quiet Italian until the break in the iamb. Aleera then sidled in, looking pleased and mischevious. I was not the only one to notice the change in her demeanor, because Dracula paused in his Italian and frowned at her. "What is it, my love?"  
"I am with child!" the proud words burst out of her mouth, an anxious offering to a temperamental deity.  
The Count smiles and rises to kiss her red lips. "That is wonderful news, Aleera."  
Verona stands too, but instead of slow and congratulatory, her abrupt transition into standing is mechanical and cold. "I was under the impression that we were not to try to conceive until we had the Frankenstein monster."

"We had it for a brief time." Aleera brushes off Verona's reminder with a wave of her long fingernails.  
Verona is silent, staring at Dracula. "Verona, why are you behaving this way? Congratulate your sister." He frowns, wrapping a possessive arm around Aleera's waist.  
"You promised me." Verona's mask slips, revealing a wisp of sadness over her pale face. This must be something she had really been serious about. No ordinary issue would have made her upset enough to have to struggle to keep her face blank. She generally does not have to try to do so…

"Verona, there is nothing to be done about it now."  
"You raise my hopes only to dash them." She murmurs. Then she turns to Aleera, whose proud stance has wilted into a confused hunch. "Congratulations, sister. You shall bear another child to die." Her jagged voice, loud with frustration, seems too raw to come from her lips. She disappears instantly, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake.  
I smirk up at the Count. I wonder if he ever considered the effect his polygamy might have on the one bride he married for love. Aleera turns into him and looks at his face, begging for attention. "Have I erred, master?"

"No, Aleera." He responds, looking at the space above her head. "Do you feel well enough to travel?"  
"Yes." Her soft voice seems scared of the impact Verona's words had on his mood.  
"Then I wish you to take the letters on my desk and see that they are delivered."  
She nods, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. He still cannot drag his eyes down to Aleera's. "I love you." She whispers, sounding more like a frightened child than an expectant mother. With that simple sentence, she seems to be asking for his approval. Is she good enough now? She is pleased to carry his children just as Verona used to be, the one he truly loves. Can he love her like he loves Verona now? Has she done well?  
After what seems like several minutes, he kisses the top of her head. "Do not be long or I shall worry."

He sends her on her way after caressing her cheek with his hand. He had not told her he loved her. That would have a profound impact on Aleera for several days, whether or not he knew it. He now turns his attention to me, even though I can almost see Verona's face in his eyes. He sits against the arm rest of the divan and gazes at me. I gaze back. There is nothing he could do to me now that would surprise me.

"Are you with child?"  
"Have I attempted suicide again?"  
He scowls. "Aleera usually makes a point to become pregnant if she notices that one of her sisters is in that condition. She does not like to feel left out."  
"I am not carrying your child, nor will I ever do so."  
"You have never been pregnant Anna. You do not know the symptoms. My brides experience the symptoms earlier than mortal women."  
"I am not pregnant." I snap, agitated at his talk of such a horrible possibility.  
"That will soon change."

"And how will Verona react to such news?"  
"Do not speak of matters you know nothing about." His eyes flicker between dark and electric blue.  
I stare forward at a sconce on the wall. An unlit torch rests in the sconce, and I continue to look at it as I feel his eyes rest upon my face. "The plans for the party are almost complete. I expect every one of the guests I invited to attend."  
"I don't care."  
"You will care when you meet them. It is very important that you do not stray from me during the festivities. Some of them may feel resentment towards your family and wish to harm you. I doubt that will—"

"Do not talk to me about my family." How can he speak of my family as if we have not tried to murder him in cold blood hundreds of times?  
He is silent for several seconds. "As you wish." He murmurs, standing up and promptly disappearing.

The next day, after drinking the cup of blood on my nightstand, I walk down to the hall that has now become so familiar to me. To my surprise, Verona is not there. Every morning for the past four days she has stood in one corner of the room until I pass out or decide to stop my practice. She must be busy with the preparations for the damn ball. The ball is going to be held in a room similar to this one, but on the opposite side of the castle. Decorations and tables have appeared over the past few days, but my interest in such matters is less than minimal.

With no one to watch me, I use my new skills to fit my own designs. I release the demon inside me until I grow into its likeness. I spread my wings, bend my knees, and shoot upwards into the icy air, heading towards a wide window near the ceiling. The glass shatters against the arms I place in front of my face, and I hear a screech of frustration behind me. Realizing I have only seconds, I fly faster, beating my wings against the frigid night air. The mountains surrounding Castle Dracula seem perfectly lit, despite the moonlight that tries desperately to shine through the heavy clouds.  
I hear another angry cry, closer to me this time. I have to go faster! This is my one chance to escape and I cannot fail! If I can make it over the mountains I can hide in the forest! I must! There is no conceivable way I can be the guest of honor at that cursed party or have his child or stay there a moment longer! My heart pounds in my throat and my eyes water as the cold wind blows under me, boosting my speed.

Moments later I shriek, pain erupting in my leg. The sound echoes off of the walls of earth around me, and I throw my head over my shoulder to see Verona's claw digging into my ankle. Her black hair and wild green eyes makes her looks more demonic than ever. I beat my wings to try an escape her grasp, but a horrific ripping sound forces me to stop. Like a knife through a sail, her talon tore a clean slash through my leathery wing and I scream in pain and fury. In my mind, the beast cowers in terror as an overwhelming sensation grips my entire body. The master is very, very unhappy. I begin to fall through the air, and Verona, fangs bared, chases after me. The master uses my confusion to take control of my mind and force me into darkness.

"Why did you not let her leave?" Aleera's bitter whisper has hardly left her lips before Dracula shouts, "Aleera, Verona acted appropriately, and it disappoints me that you still do not know what earns my gratitude!"  
"She does not deserve to live here if she cannot appreciate you, master!" She cries, daring to argue.  
"Be silent!" He roars, and I open my eyes to see Aleera sob and disappear. Pain thuds in my foot and my back, and only then do I realize that an empty chalice rests against the stone floor, dripping the last drops of blood onto the ice. Had I consumed that?

Verona, whose slender arm holds my head up, releases her grip, and I teleport to a standing position just before I fall to the floor. Now I can see that I am back in the hall. Verona kneels on the floor, Dracula stands a few feet away from her, and Aleera had been somewhere near him. He now turns to me. "What a fool I have been for allowing you to exercise gifts that could be used against me! Where were you intending to go, Anna?" He snarls.

My stomach knotted with fear, I find that I cannot answer. Picking a destination seems so insignificant compared to the act of escaping. "Where?" He shouts, impatiently striding towards me.  
"Home!" My disappointment at not succeeding paired with the pain quickly evolves into rage.  
"This is your home! Only under this roof will you be safe!"  
"I will never call this place home!"

"The place you think is your home no longer welcomes you, Anna Valerious. If you go back, your own people will turn against you. The church, the Knights of the Holy Order, even polite society will reject you! You can never be harmed here, and yet you dream of other havens!"  
"I have already been harmed here!" I snap.  
"Never at my hands."  
"Your hands have caused me more pain than you will ever know!" My voice shakes, and I cannot tell if it is because of anger or fear in the face of his horrific truths.  
"But the hands of others would cause you the most pain, Anna. If any other of our kind found you, I do not dare to speculate what they would do."

"And who have I to blame for that?" I shriek wrathfully. Goddamn him! Never again can I associate with anything that is not a creature of the damned!  
With those words, I turn on my heel and walk from the room. I cannot speculate what they would do to me either. The last of the Valerious, a young, unprotected vampire, lost in the heart of European vampire activity. I would be killed within hours. Perhaps they would torture and disfigure me. Perhaps they would kill every member of my village now that their protector had been banished. I allow only a few tears to fall before the sun rises and I give in to the darkness again.

The next day is the day before the party. I am instructed to bathe willingly or bathe with company, and I do not hesitate in choosing the former. While I bathe, I think of my village. Who is protecting them now that I have been taken? Did they know of what happened? How could they? Suddenly, I remember Van Helsing. I remember his cries of fury as he had tried to hard to prevent what the Count had done to me. Was he protecting my people? I cannot expect him to, especially after the less-than-cordial greeting we had given him.

After my bath, I am required to sit in the hall where the festivities are to take place. Somehow, the entire room seems to have been defrosted. It seems like the most inhabitable room in the entire castle now that it has been properly bedecked. Dark banners of lush cloth hang above windows and in the corners of the room, seeming to enclose the temporary happiness that is to be in this one room. The perimeters the stiff fabric set around the room seem to mock the trapped feeling I tried to run from just one night before.

Dracula ensures that I am not out of his sight for the rest of the evening. He supervises more decorating, signs papers, speaks to Verona, sooths Aleera's distressed and pregnant disposition, and selects the musical arrangement all while keeping one arm locked around me. I am very annoyed by the end of the evening, and he sends me to my bedroom the instant I begin to complain. It becomes increasingly apparent that he wishes me to stay long enough to attend the party, which will be punishment enough for being so displeasing.  
The next evening, I open my eyes to see Verona's thin arms jerking the blankets off of my bed. "Get up. The guests arrive in one hour."

The significance of this statement startles me, and after feeding, I argue and fuss with the two idiot vampire girls who have been sent to help me prepare for the evening. It is not long before Dracula is called in to subdue his defiant and stubborn new bride. When he enters my bedroom, I am pulling pins out of my hair and throwing them to the ground. They grab my wrists and I stand up, sending the chair clattering to the floor. How dare these moronic women treat me like a convict! "Anna, why are you causing problems?" He asks, an exasperating smile spreading over his mouth as the two women struggle to keep my arms in control.  
"I will not attend the damn party! I will not be dressed up and made to prance around like a horse! I am not an object for you to boast about!"

He steps forward and grabs my face, kissing my lips, which try to emit an angry snarl, but are subsequently muffled. "Anna…" He says again, sending his bestial powers through the air. I can sense the energy he emits, and I fight against it as I feel it permeate my mind. However, within the minute I am seated at the vanity, allowing the maids to dress my hair without complaint.  
"There. I understand that you are excited about the festivities, but there is no need to allow your nerves to over stimulate you."

I glare at him, willing my eyes to turn the fiery red I had seen in my eyes once before. Finding it impossible to talk, I can only make contemptuous scoffs at the other women. "Now, now, Anna. Be polite. You must listen to my surprise for you."  
He pauses, as if expecting me to inquire about the surprise, and then continues on as if I had, "You will not easily forget the pointless rituals taught to you by your beloved church, so I shall conform in order to please you. We will be married tonight with our guests as witnesses, and after that I shall take you on a tour of Europe. Verona and Aleera will stay here to oversee my affairs and we will go wherever you like. Europe, or America, or even…"

He trails off for only a moment, but I do not listen when he resumes speaking. Married? To him? Then I will be bound not only by his physical power but by God! Does God endorse the unions of the Devil's children? Oh, why him! Of all the men I could be forced to marry, why Count Dracula?  
Cold hands brush against my cheek as scarlet lip rouge is smudged over my mouth. "You will enjoy our wedding trip, Anna. Perhaps a more romantic atmosphere will thaw your cold heart..." He moves closer to me and I feel his fingertips graze my neck. It reminds me of the way my father would touch with my mother if Velkan or I were in the room. A kind of detached affection that society dictated was proper for a husband and wife if company was present. I scowl darkly up at him. I am not his bride now and I will never be one. Never will this man have my love. Velkan, the forced companionship, my death, my sacrilegious new life…all of these have one similarity…Count Vladislaus Dracula…

"But for now we must subdue the anticipation." I rise at his silent, but firm command. He leans in slowly and kisses my check, just a gentle press of his lips. "You are beautiful."

"The woman you think is beautiful is not me." I snap, finding the ability to speak without meaning to. He may be able to change my appearance, but he still cannot change my mind.  
My waist once again under his strong arm, he leads me out of the room and to the front of the double doors. Verona's voice, raised to volumes I have never heard before, welcomes the guests and introduces the host of the party from inside. I realize instantly that I am conspicuously underdressed. My gaudy bride dress will only draw attention to me. This thought, somehow relevant and insignificant at the same time, comes to me just before the doors begin to open and the light of the thousands of candles within the hall touches my face…

* * *

OOhh, who will Anna meet at the ball? I hope no vampire tries to steal her away...goodness knows Anna has enough problems with vampires wanting to bang her... 


	11. The Archangel

**Author's Note:**

jimmy-barnes-13: I love cliffhanging you guys. And you like that the whole story is in Anna's POV? Because all of the chapters have been, not just the last one...

Ron's Sexy Girly 750: I can't wait for you to review the chapters you haven't read yet! Thank you for the wonderful comments! I'm glad to have reviewers like you. :D

Texknight1234567: I'm glad Anna found her backbone too. Though, it must have been hard. Persevere, Anna! We believe in you!

redjegger: I know, everyone was upset that I couldn't update sooner, but hows this for a quick update? Thanks for the reviews!

devil-she-cares: Thank you very much!! And if you haven't noticed by now, I loves me some good cliffhangers. .

DrusillaBraun: Hopefully you won't get kicked off while reading this chapter. Te he!

Well, here is a short one to tide you guys over for a while. My classes are getting very difficult and are overloading me with work, so I don't know when I'll be able to update again. But I love to write and love your amazing reviews, so I'll try and post a new chapter soon!

* * *

The high walls magnify the sound of the polite applause. I hear a few amused laughs, and I scowl out at the mass of pale vampires surrounding me. "Welcome." Dracula grins, raising his hand for silence. "How honored I am that you have come to meet my darling Anna. I am sure she is honored as well," his deep voice mocks my displeasure, and the crowd laughs a little too heartily. 

"Please enjoy yourselves, as I am sure you will. Maestro?"  
The stoic band sits up in attention and the sound of ruffling papers can be heard. A soft violin begins playing as Dracula leads me through a gauntlet of staring vampires. The women, some of whom share Aleera's garish sense of style, chortle at me with a condescending air, allowing their eyes to flash as I pass. The men, whose eyes cannot seem to stay upon my face, also stare as I walk by, but in a somehow different manner.

Dracula and I dance on a tiled, glossy part of the floor which I know was not originally part of the hall. I hear my name from whispers around me, but most of them do not speak in English or Romanian, so I am left to guess at what they are saying about me.  
"Anna, I wish for you to promise me something."  
"No."  
"Please listen to what I have to say."  
"No."  
He grips my arm roughly and pulls me against his chest so fast that I almost trip over my own feet. "Do not speak to me in such an obstinate manner."

I turn my face away from him, still scowling, and allow him to lead me through the paces of the dance. Though, allowing him to do so would be pointless as I am already being controlled by his diabolical power…  
"You must promise me that you will say nothing negative this evening."  
"Or else what?" I snarl under my breath.  
"Do not make me resort to threats. You will not like it if I do so." He sounds regretful as he whirls me in a circle

"I will say whatever I want to say."  
"You will speak sweetly or else I shall lock you in my bedroom until you are heavy with child."  
At my stunned silence, he laughs and kisses my cheek. "Very good then. I accept your promise and look forward to witnessing your behavior this evening. By now you must understand that I shall be pleased with either outcome…"

I scoff angrily and pull my arms out of his. The realization that I have successfully escaped his grasp does not come to me until I have reached one of the long refreshment tables, which holds numerous platters of bright pastries that no one will eat. I grab one of the champagne flutes filled with blood and try to drink it with a semblance of grace. I had not eaten this evening and truthfully my stomach had begun to ache after I had been dressed.

After my third flute, I begin to hear chuckles behind me. It is not my fault I need to drink this much! I slam down the glass back onto the table and stomp away from the table to avoid the snickering vampires behind me. It is difficult to avoid bumping into any of the dozens of vampires here, and I do accidentally collide with one. I continue walking away, but suddenly a hand spins me back around. The vampire, a tall, thin man stares at me with a hint of irritation, "Where are your manners, fledgling?"

"I owe you none!" I spit, struggling to get away. His cold hand is just as strong as Dracula's and I only succeed in bruising my own arm against his grip.  
"Perhaps I should teach them to you." His eyes spark and fear bursts in my stomach. The demon inside me tells me to run away _now_, but I cannot escape!  
"Matthias," Verona's soft accent seems to immediately calm him. His eyes return to brown, but he does not release me. Verona appears at his side. "Please accept my condolences and those of Count Dracula."

"He could do me the honor of offering them himself."  
"I would be happy to take you to him." How can they be talking as if he does not want to rip out my throat? Why does she not ask him to let me go?  
"No. That can wait. This impertinent _thing_ of which he has now fixated himself upon may offer hers, though I doubt such respect ever comes from her lips."  
"It is probable that her mental capabilities do not extend as far as common courtesy."  
Their exchange has moved so rapidly that I find myself confused. What are they saying? Who is fixated with whom? Why will he not let me go!  
"I see. However, that does not excuse her actions."

"Your justification for the mark upon her arm will not suffice to Lord Dracula."  
"Then let him for once exist unsatisfied." He lets go of my arm in gradual degrees, as if reminding me of the power he has over me. Stupid bstard.  
"Your grief makes you reckless." Instead of official and cold, her tone softens into an almost pitying and comforting voice.  
"Perhaps. What is this girl's name?"  
"Anna Valerious." I snap, angry that he cannot seem to speak directly to me.  
"Ah. What sagacity perished here. His majesty Lord Dracula must be through with his pink harpy. But how can anyone love something so stubborn? I have met spoiled princes more agreeable than this."

I open my mouth to argue, boiling with fury, but Verona stops me with a piercing glare and a quick, "I do not know, but I must insist that you overlook her inadequacies and allow me to remove her from your sight."  
"Am I truly to permit the first disrespectful fledgling I have ever encountered to walk away from me still ignorant of her crimes?"  
"Am I to understand that you knew every nuance of our culture within two weeks of being born, Matthias?"  
He does not answer for a moment, but leaves with a small bow and the phrase, "Congratulations, Countess," directed towards me.

Verona grabs my upper arm and pulls me forward and away from the table. She pulls me along, talking very quickly and very quietly as we cross the hall. "You, stupid, idiotic fledgling. How dare you address Matthias in such a way. If I had not been there you would have surely been—"  
"Who was he?"

"He is Matthias. He is the master of Budapest and you are a fool if you do not behave as well as any foolish gypsy girl can when in his presence. Now either remember your promise to Vladislaus or suffer my displeasure." She whispers as she grabs my hand and slips it into Dracula's. I had not even noticed that we had approached him. The resentment, confusion, and apprehension seem to distract me more than I intend them to.  
"There you are, Anna. Where have you been?"

"Anna has met Matthias, Lord Dracula." Verona notes casually, as if reporting on the misdeeds of a naughty child.  
"And now I wish her to meet my other associates." He sweeps his arm out and I view the faces of a dozen vampires circled around their influential host. I realize that these must have been the people laughing too loudly at his jokes. They immediately begin to lavish Dracula with compliments about the party and my appearance. Much to my dismay, I cannot refute their flattery because Dracula has taken the liberty of controlling my mobility and speech as he so often does.

One vampire with green eyes and a haughty attitude voices his compliments with obvious sarcasm, "Your tastes are refined with every bride, Count Dracula. Though perhaps you have learned not to be so parsimonious and are willing to share this time around."  
While I ponder the possible meanings of the word 'parsimonious,' Dracula's hand jumps out of mine and hooks around my waist, pressing me uncomfortably against his party attire. "The more frequently you ask, Lazarus, the more I regret inviting you to my celebrations."

The vampire just laughs, "And yet you never stop sending me the invitations." He slinks away, looking pleased, and tugs on my dress just once before making his way to the dancing area.  
"Why do you invite Lazarus, Count Dracula?" Asks another one of Dracula's friends.  
Dracula just grins and runs his hand up and down my back. "The man that can tolerate Lazarus' crude lifestyle will be glad he did in about one hundred years."

I am forced to stay standing while Dracula continues to talk with his colleagues. Their conversation does not interest me, so I instead watch the faces of the other men. They listen with the eagerness of a child listening to a wise older brother. Their compliments concerning me, however, seem to be similar to those a neighbor would bestow upon a couple with a new baby. The men know their place below Dracula, but still joke and talk with him in hopes of winning his favor. It is soon after this revelation that I remember that I am in fact damned just as they are, and can teleport just as they do.

In order to prevent my disappearance from looking like a disrespectful flee, I turn my head up to his to catch his attention. "Please excuse me, but I must have another drink."  
Without waiting for his response, I focus my energy on the spot I had stood at across the hall and immediately find myself there. Now I must concentrate. The guests arrived somehow, and that means I can leave in the same way. Where did they enter? Through the massive doors in the entrance hall? Through a window intentionally broken for this ball?

"Anna," A voice whispers somewhere to my left. I turn to see who it is, but the quiet voice only allows a glimpse "Do not turn." It murmurs.  
That voice…that face…I had only seen his face for a moment, but its owner abruptly comes to my mind. Van Helsing! He is here! He will save me just like he did before! Oh, there is a God! "What should I do?" I try to move my lips as little as possible.  
"I don't know. Just forget I'm here."

How can I forget he is here? The one man that has ever stood a chance against Dracula! The one man that brought me so close to destroying the son of the devil once and for all! I set a frustrated look upon my face and stride across the hall as though I am in a towering temper. The nauseas feeling spreading down into my stomach mingles with the thought that he might not succeed, and acting upset becomes even more difficult.

"Where are you going, Princess?" Aleera asks, somehow needing more breaths than normal to speak in front of her friends.  
"The refreshment table." I respond through almost clenched teeth, remembering the Count's threat.  
"Again? My goodness, Anna. Angelique just now informed me that she saw you drinking an absolutely indecent amount, didn't you Angelique?"

Angelique, flaunting a low neckline and earrings blossoming with diamonds, nods, somehow keeping her nose high in the air even while lowering and raising her head. "But we must excuse the darling child, mustn't we?"  
"Oh yes." Another woman in sparkling jewelry agrees, "You know, I've heard things about these Romanian gypsies you would not believe. Do you know how the women catch husbands? They…"

I literally force myself away from the group of Aleera's gossipmongers, because I know that if I had stayed I would have ended up removing that woman's jewelry and attempted to force her to eat it. They objectify my body, insult my people, and treat me like an infant! The damned belong in hell! Why does God allow them to stay on earth?

"Come, Anna, the priest has arrived." Verona wastes no time in ushering me towards a closed door.  
"What priest?"  
"The priest that will perform the wedding ceremony."  
How could I have allowed that thought out of my mind for even a moment? I am going to be married! "But the ball has only just started!"  
"The priest arrived late." She opens the door and pushes me through it.

The room is obviously a lounge of some kind. Divans, armchairs, and low tables are arranged around a large fireplace at the opposite end of the room. On one of the low tables is a long, white box. A wedding dress! Oh my God!

"Verona, I can't marry him." I sound so afraid that my own voice begins to frighten me.  
"You will. There is nothing to be done for it." She glides to the box and lifts the lid. Outside the room, I can hear Dracula calling his guests to attention. No! No! This is not how the evening is supposed to be! Van Helsing will rescue me, I know he will!  
"Let me leave now!" I plead wildly. "Say that I am too ill!"

"Do not be stupid. You know vampires do not become ill." She lifts not a wedding dress, but a long veil out of the box and turns to face me. Her mind grabs control of mine, and I can only watch as she places it over my hair, flipping the shorter piece of gauzy cloth over my face.  
"Don't make me do this." I whisper, defeat overwhelming me into desperate begging.  
"I have no choice, Anna. If the events planned for this evening upset him in any way, it would look like weakness to the guests. Count Dracula must never appear to be confused by the proceedings under his own roof or the guests would believe he is losing his power."

"This is just a show to you?" I find it difficult to swallow as she wraps my fingers around a bouquet of white flowers.  
"Yes. I know what you are feeling, and that will fade. Now hush."  
The door opens and Verona marches me towards the end of a long white path of fabric that leads to a raised platform. Dracula waits with an oily, dirty looking vampire dressed in the robes of priest. Before she forces me to walk towards him, she hugs me, pressing her cheek to mine. "Go willingly," she whispers in Romanian, "Or I will kill him. Cry and I will kill him."

She turns me and I can sense that I can now move of my own will. My heart beats against my skin, and I feel as though it might burst from my chest at any moment. I step forward, and music fills my ears. Another step forward. Another step. Another step towards my new husband. Another step.

She knows Van Helsing is here. Does that mean Dracula knows? Do they plan to kill him after the ceremony? My legs continue moving, but my brain still lags behind in the room with the white box and the armchairs. Verona does not care that I am never going to recover from this. She thinks this is what I deserve. That I will just forget about this all in a few years. Soon I stare into the eyes of Count Dracula in front of the greasy 'priest.' Dracula agrees to the vows. My vows are stated as commands. I will love and cherish this man till death do us part. I will remain faithful. I will accept this man as my lawfully wedded husband. I speak no words.

When Dracula is given permission to kiss his bride, I turn. My entire body shakes as I struggle not to cry. Just over Dracula's shoulder, an oddly shaped shadow lurks behind a stone column. Van Helsing's face appears in the candle-light, and I cannot determine the meaning of his look until Dracula's fingers lift the veil from my face. Before my eyes close I see Van Helsing's frowning face, but Dracula's lips opening mine suddenly distract me. The crowd applauds. His hands grip my back and press me closer to him. "I love you." He murmurs in my ear.

The walk back down the aisle seems foggy somehow. The tears that fill my eyes make my vision blur. The vampires smile and clap and cheer and make so much noise that I feel myself becoming deaf to it. I am his wife. I am his. Even death has not parted us.  
But I do not cry in the safety of the lounge. Dracula talks at me, kissing me again and again, but soon leaves the room. Verona stands, watching me. After several moments she seems to gather herself. "It is customary for Dracula to dance with his brides after he marries a new one. Aleera is dancing with him now. I am after her."

I nod, taking in the information word by word. I feel so frustrated and compressed that I cannot even speak. Holding back the shouts and hysterical tears is becoming too difficult. I will not last this way for much longer. After staring at me for a moment more, Verona exits the room, shutting the door without a sound. Then I am alone.

Countess Anna Dracula. His youngest bride. Married in a castle surrounded by admirers and friends to a man who wants nothing more to please her. In my mind, my wedding would be so much different than it had been just now.

A door next to the fireplace opens. Van Helsing, looking anxious and hurried, jerks his arm behind him, signaling that it is time to leave. My senses explode into life. The dancing music and chattering voices outside in the hall. My cold arms and scratchy veil. The sight of his brusque, handsome face. It is time to leave now.

I dart forward, not bothering to close the door behind me. He grabs my left hand and my right hand lifts up my skirts so that I can run. We sprint out, through corridors and hallways until we reach the entrance hall I had tried to leave through. The massive doors, as icy and immobile as ever, stand blocking our way. Van Helsing pulls me against his torso, wrapping his arm around me, and jumps, springing up impossibly high. I had forgotten he is a werewolf.

Falling through the icy night air awakens my thoughts even more. He lands, bending his knees to absorb the shock, and we begin running again. The doorway stands just yards away from us, and the thought that I am escaping hits me. Panic rushes through my heart and I run faster, pumping my legs and slapping my party shoes against the wet snow.  
"We can't get through!" I shout, almost too winded to speak.  
"Yes we can!" He yells over his shoulder, still clutching my hand.

We reach the entryway, and he tries to run through it, but is slowed by the eerie substance the door is made of. Hurry! My mind screams to hurry, that there is no time, and that to cross this barrier is imperative. Oh, hurry! I step after him, holding my arms in front of me, and pass through the doorway. I can feel his hands on the other side pulling me to safety, but the gooey passage begins to solidify. I struggle to continue walking, almost choking with fear, and his hands pull harder at my arms. The passageway knows I should not be traveling through this portal, and I consider the possibility that it might reject me back onto the snowy entrance of Castle Dracula!

Van Helsing's hands do not stop pulling, and I and jerked from the doorway just in time. The momentum of his pulling causes me to trip forward into his arms. He catches me, breathing hard, and holds me against him. I can hear and sense his heart. I can feel the blood gushing through him, and sensation is frightening, but also calming. Though he holds me for longer than the situation warranted, I make no complaints. He has saved me.

I look up at him, which puts our faces far closer than society would permit. "We can't stay here."  
"Where will we go."  
"I know a place. Get two horses, food from the kitchen, and whatever else we will need."

The next few minutes pass so quickly that I do not even remember all that I did. I know I grabbed everything I could from my bedroom and stuffed it into a satchel before pounding back down the stairs. I grabbed blankets from the hallway and ran with them out to the stable behind Vaseria. Van Helsing was strapping saddle bags to the saddles with such speed that I almost paused to watch him. No time! Hurry! I shove my foot into a stirrup and hoist myself up. As I swing my leg around, the dress flutters softly, and then I realize that Dracula knows. Dracula knows I have escaped. Dracula is angry. Extremely angry.

"Get on, now!" I shout, kicking my horse's ribs and grabbing onto my bag as the horse shoots forward. I seize the reins and slap them against the horse's neck. No animal can go fast enough. Dracula could be here in seconds.  
We gallop through the forest, the horses hooves crunching the snow just as fast as my heart pounds in absolute terror. I must get away! I've come too far to be captured again! Van Helsing's horse follows mine closely, and I concentrate on finding our way. A cabin had been built for my mother to run to when her parents had been raising her in Vaseria. This cabin was hidden far in the woods, and my mother would take Velkan and me on walks to visit it frequently when we were little to help us memorize the way.

My mind flies back to those walks, hysterically recalling the way there. The forest seems just one continuation of one image: dark trees sprouting up from white snow. I have no time to stop and look around because another threat has been rising in my mind. The sun will rise within the next twenty minutes and I still am not sure of our location. I wish these Romanian horses seemed like the fastest in the world now!  
"Anna! The sun!" Van Helsing cries out from behind me, and I ignore him, frantically searching my mind for the right way! Where is it? Where is the damn cabin!

I almost scream with anxiety as the dark hut comes into view a ten minutes later. Oh, thank God! We ride towards it, jumping off our lathered horses and untying the saddlebags. The dark forest around us has gotten lighter, and I know I must get inside as soon as possible. We untie all the bags and hastily throw them inside. Van Helsing shoves me into the cabin and I dash for the blanket.  
Adrenaline coursing through me, I pull the blanket over my head. Between Dracula and the sun I almost feel as though I will implode with fright, but, abruptly, all is gone and I collapse into sleep.

* * *

Saved! Oh, I'm so glad Anna won't get knocked up and have a bat baby. Those things are effing fugly. NOW REVIEW! GO! I COMMAND YOU! MWA HA HA HA AHA HAHAHAHHAHAHahsrlhkqjaseliijhrkakfs... 


	12. The Rebels

**Author's Note:**

Ron's Sexy Girly 750: Well, thank you! That really made my day!

redjegger: It was pretty wierd of Verona to help out. Maybe she has a person inside her after all these years...

likenotyourbusiness: Many thanks! I know! It took Mr. Lazy Leather-Pants a while to get his sh!t together, but I guess he did manage to save the day. Nice going, Gabriel. And yeah, I'm scared of the Dracula that may or may not appear again in this story...

vamplady101: Finally! I was thinking everyone thought I was wierd for putting in the F/F action, but I think Dracula would totally do that. I mean, if a guy came home to three hot chicks every night, wouldn't he have them put on a show if he was too tired? Makes sense! And I can't wait for the love triangle either! Dammit I wish I wrote faster!

Marishka1422: You know, I wish Anna could stay with Vlad, but do you think Anna could handle it? Put the rape and torture and mental sh!t that messed her up and I still don't think she could handle it. She just isn't that smart. Or mentally sound.

Another side note -- this story has no end. Like, good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but this is not a good story. This story stops when I run out of cool ideas. So, if you're already on the rollercoaster, don't expect to get off any time soon. Or maybe any time ever. We'll just see.

And I know the ending is a little cliche, but bear with me. Couldn't resist, mate.

* * *

The instant conscious thought comes to my mind, I sit up. A blanket falls off of my chest, and I immediately pull it up to me. The cabin has only one window, and it is so dark outside that it provides no light. I am startled by the figure slumped in a chair next to the bed before I remember the events of the previous night. Oh my God! Thank God I have been released from that hell!

"Van Helsing" I whisper, as though someone could overhear us.  
When he does not respond, I get up slowly, jumping out of nerves at the sound of my jewelry moving. I touch his shoulder, and he rockets into life. He jumps up and whirls around to face me, a small revolver clutched in his hand. I raise my palms up, "Don't shoot."

A strange pounding creeps into my head. I do not feel pain, but I can feel a fast rhythm playing against my senses. Van Helsing opens his mouth to speak to me, but all I hear is that sound. The beast dances to the beat, writhing underneath my skin, and implores me to find the source of the sound.  
I step closer to him, and then I realize the pounding sound, which has begun to slow, is his heartbeat. The demon inside me tenses with predatory triumph. By not running, this man is simply begging to be drunk from. No! No, I must not drink from him. Grabbing hold of my own will, I turn away from him and press my hand against the wooden door. But his hand closes over my arm and twists me back to face him.

"Where are you going?"  
I do not answer for fear that he would see the fangs growing in my mouth. Oh, what a stupid man! Let me go! I must get away from him! I try to wrench myself out of his grasp, but he will not release me.

"Stay here." He commands, attempting to pull me back to the center of the cabin.  
"No…" I moan, closing my eyes to prevent him from watching them change color. I can feel his blood gush just under his skin, which is just over my skin…I could simply take his wrist and…  
"Where are you going?" He inquires again, his voice sounding fainter.  
"I have to go!" I shout, pulling my arm out of his with more strength than I knew I had. I dart away, opening my eyes to the snowy woods. I sprint farther and farther away, scenting the air for any signs of life. If I do not feed soon, I could lose the ability to keep myself from killing that man!

I do temporarily lose control of my own actions, but only because it took me so long to find, kill, and feed from a stray deer. The deer had been injured and frightened, but I had no mercy then. The demon does not understand mercy. I find it hard to pity myself and my actions as I walk back to the cabin. I follow the smell of the horses, which I realize I should not be able to smell from such a distance. Van Helsing is waiting in his chair when I return. As I rub my arms to warm them, he stands. I am glad he has the courtesy not to ask any questions.  
I pondered what I would say if he did ask me where I had gone, but before I can formulate an appropriate answer, I realize that any truthful answer would be my death sentence! He is Van Helsing! He kills evil creatures! I am an evil creature! A small rush of fear sweeps through me and my arms flex. I take a step backwards and stare at him cautiously.

He frowns, looking down at me. I wish I did not have to look up to look him in the eye. "Sit down." He points to the bed.  
"Why?" I ask, my aggressive tone ringing through the room.  
"Are you going to run off again?"  
"Perhaps I should."  
"No, you will stay here. Now sit down." He gives this command with more authority than before.  
I stay standing, glaring at him. He meets my glare with a calm gaze, as if trying to determine if he will have to use force to make me sit or simply pretend he is not intimidated.

"Are you going to kill me?" I ask.  
He scoffs. "Would I have gone through all the trouble of rescuing you if I only wanted to kill you?"  
When I do not reply, he shakes his head. "I'm not going to kill you. Now please have a seat so that I may do my job."  
"Exactly what is your job?" I snap, embarrassed that I had been so wrong in my calculations.  
"My job is the same as your job." He places a hand on my shoulder and guides me to the bed, and I allow him to do so.  
"And what is that?"  
"To kill Dracula. And protect you."  
"And you have failed at both."

He becomes less exasperated and more solemn. I sit on the bed to avoid meeting his eyes. I do not blame him entirely for what has happened to me, but my selfish honor gives him partial responsibility. "Many people are to blame for what happened. If you condemn only me, then you are more childish than I thought."  
"Then you feel no regret." I state, turning my head away from him contemptuously.  
Awful moments of silence pass between us, and a horrible guilt fills me. I interpret his silence as meaning he did have guilt, but he did not want to express his feelings to someone obviously intent on being disagreeable. "Are we safe here?" He asks after sitting again in the chair.  
"Yes. They don't know about this place. It will not be safe to go back for a few days."

He nods, and at least three minutes pass before I ask, "Why didn't you come for me sooner?"  
"I tried to get through the doorway every day and night after Dracula took you, but it would never let me through until last night."  
I can feel his eyes on me for several seconds after he finishes, and I turn, expecting to see an apologetic or at least sorrowful look upon his face. But he instantly turns to stare at the floor as soon as I move my head. A pink blush makes the cheeks beneath his stubble become rosy, as if he had spent too much time out in the snow. "If you wish to change clothes, I will give you some privacy."

I had almost forgotten that I am still wearing the accursed red bride dress. I blush as well, realizing he must not have been inspecting my face. "Thank you." I mumble, and he leaves to wait on the snowy porch of the cabin while I change.  
Luckily, in the scramble to leave Vaseria, I had managed to grab a complete outfit more suitable to wear around male acquaintances. I pull on my pants and boots before slipping off the dress, shivering slightly in the icy air. After buckling my corset and shoving a new knife in my boot, I allow him to enter again. I had not realized how much I had missed wearing pants.

Perhaps Dracula realized that I had forsaken the attire he had requested I wear, because my beast begins to feel uneasy the instant I stand straight up. Where is the master? Why am I not with him? Will he be angry? Is he looking for me? Answering my silent calls, I sense the master's own demon, swollen with hurt and anger. My eyes widen as I feel his rage. How could I have left him? What have I done! I will suffer at his hands if I do not return soon!  
"What's wrong?" Van Helsing's deep voice pulls me back to the tangible present, and I can only stare at him with terrified eyes. I have done right by leaving! I was unhappy there! I should never have gone there. He did horrible, sacrilegious things there and I am to be no part of it!

The master finds me as I defend my reasons for running, and his fury crashes down over me. I sway and feel my knees go weak. "No!" I whisper, begging the master not to feel betrayed.  
"Anna." My name sounds so pretty when spoken by that voice. Hands grab my upper arms, and Van Helsing stares into my eyes. "Stay here." He commands, frowning and looking worried.  
"He's…he's…"I stammer, bewildered at the torrential rush of emotions cycling inside me, only a few of them my own. His pain howls in my ears and my vision flickers between Van Helsing's face and Dracula's despondent face.  
"Is he coming?" The hands shake me, and my head rocks back and forth.  
"No." I murmur. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I tell him, frantically hoping that the master will hear me. I have wronged him! I am not safe here without him! He needs me, and I need him! I will go back this very moment. My knees buckle and I would have fallen to the floor without the man's arms to hold me up.

I apologize over and over again, shaking as he lowers me to the floor. "You haven't done anything wrong. Stay with me." He tries to reassure me, but his nervous voice contradicts him.  
I pull myself away from him, feeling the cold ground below me. His rage combines with another feeling he sends to me, and I suddenly become so hot that I feel as though I cannot breathe. I kick away from his warm body and begin to writhe upon the floor in confusion and discomfort. A revolting, obscene sensation sweeps through me that I have only ever felt when alone with the man who sent this unwanted emotion. Goddamn him! I curse him as I struggle to control my flailing arms and legs.

The demon, scared and apprehensive, determines that only the master can fulfill the desires he puts in my heart, and I must therefore return in order to satiate myself. No, no, no! I cannot do that! I will not go back! Nothing will make me return! I push against he ground and stamp my legs against the floor, trying to free myself from his sorcery. "Help me!" I groan, closing my eyes as a sharp pain stings my torso. I struggle against my own treacherous hands, which wish to follow a foreign urge to remove my clothing, but then I become lost. Time and space merge, then simultaneously disappear.

I dream for hours. I wake every so often, sweating and shaking as though I have a fever. Every time I realize I am awake, Van Helsing is there, his shadowed eyes searching mine, or his cool hand touching my face. I have dreams of Dracula. They are harsh dreams that seem almost too real to be in my mind, but some part of me knows that he still does not know where I am. In one dream he holds me close and kisses me, whispering that he needs me and loves me and wants me to return at once. At another time he stands above me, questioning me coldly as to why I could have possibly thought to desert a man who had done me no wrong. In yet another dream, he threatens me when I will not tell him where I am hiding, though I have no voice and cannot speak at all.

When the dreams stop, I wake up to find myself crying softly, cold tears streaming down my cheeks. "Anna?" Van Helsing looks haggard, but anxious.  
When he sees my open eyes, he says, "Don't sit up. Just rest."  
"What happened?"  
"I don't know. Are you hurt?"  
"No."  
"Does Dracula know where we are?"

I shake my head, pulling the blankets on the bed closer to me. The dried perspiration has made me so cold that have begun to shiver.  
"How long was I asleep?" I ask. Though, sleep is not what I would call whatever had taken over me.  
"A few hours." He rubs his face with a tired hand.  
"Did I…say anything?" I ask, almost too embarrassed to ask. What if I had? What had I said?  
"You apologized a few more times. You started to cry a few minutes ago." He keeps his voice formal and business-like. I sense that he does not hold me accountable for my actions, and this is a comforting thought.  
I wipe my face with my left hand, the metal band on my finger brushing against my eyelid. Oh, Jesus Christ. How could I have forgotten I am married to him! "He is very angry with me." I realize only after I speak how obvious that is at the moment.

A quick smile plays over Van Helsing's lips. "I'm glad."  
"Glad?"  
"Yes. Then he can forget about me. If this is how he chooses to punish you, I cannot imagine what he would do to me. Though, I have a headache and a stomach ache that I cannot explain. Perhaps my penalty will come later."  
Is he connected to Dracula the same way I am? As a werewolf, he should be completely under Dracula's control by now. "How have you managed to stay away this long?" I sit up, despite Van Helsing's earlier request that I should not.

"I physically could not, as I told you before. And also I think because Count Dracula was preoccupied with…other business."  
I frown as I realize that I must be the 'other business.' I raise an eyebrow at his weary countenance. Is it blasphemous to consider another man's face handsome if you loathe and despise your husband? "Are you tired?" The cabin has only one small bed, and I believe he needs it more than I do.  
"No." He lies. "You should sleep."  
"I can sit in your chair. You look exhausted."  
"I would rather you rest for a few more minutes."

I swing my legs around under the covers and put my feet on the floor. This forces him to back away to avoid being kicked. "Sleep for a few minutes. I'll wake you up in an hour or so."  
"I do not need to sleep." He grumbles.  
"Dammit, yes you do!" I snap, angered that he just cannot see the sense in my words and obey. "Too many men come here without ever having been in temperatures this low and try to go on without sleeping when they can do so safely. They end up falling asleep on accident in horrible conditions and never wake up again."

He stares at me, "I won't sleep while he is looking for you."  
"Then you won't be any use if he comes." We both stand, but I walk around him and go to my bag on the floor. I pull out a pistol and jam a few silver bullets into it. "Now let me sit in that chair."  
We glare at each other for a minute or so. At first I tell myself that he is just another foreign male chauvinist who cannot handle being spoken to in that way by a woman, but another suspicion comes to my mind. I can see in his dark eyes that he does want to keep me from being taken again. The selfish, hopeful voice in me assures me that he cares about me and does not want me to suffer again, but a larger, more cynical part reminds me that it is his job. Whatever his motive, he eventually sits on the bed, though, by no means do I consider this a victory. His stiff movements and deep grunting seem to remind me just who gives orders here. "Wake me in twenty minutes."

I let him sleep for several hours. These hours consist of me watching his troubled sleep. The bed seems much smaller with his body on top of it. The lines on his forehead and around his eyes are more pronounced as the nightmares plague him, but there is something about that I find very attractive. Young men are too arrogant, too naïve, and just too immature. Older men, but not elderly men, are wiser and more careful with their relationships. The lines of worry and happiness seem to tell the world that they have seen more and experienced more, and are more complete men because of it. Dracula's face was lined, but no matter how wise or humble he may appear, he is nothing close to a complete man.

I think about the kiss Van Helsing and I shared upon entering Castle Dracula. We had not discussed it in the time between escaping from the Castle and attending that fateful ball. We had only had a few days to learn of Dracula's plans, discuss what we had learned after entering his castle, and to act. Why had he kissed me? Does he care about me? I dismiss the thought as Dracula's face permeates my mind once again. He was simply anxious and knew no other outlet for his emotions than lust.

It may be wrong to feel safe, but my confidence in our hide-out grew as the night wore on. The wind outside and the small sounds of the forest ceased to surprise me after an hour or so. Dracula continually clouded my mind, though no episode was as dramatic as the first. If I closed my eyes, I could see images of what he saw. Aleera, sulking and vying for attention. Verona looking icy and even more distant than before. I felt a whisper of his fear that someone would discover that he could not even keep his own fledgling in his control. I am mildly pleased that I could cause the Dracula household to fall apart in such a distressing way.

In the hour before sunrise, I hang a dirty old towel I found under the bed over the window. I wake Van Helsing and he becomes even surlier. "That was longer than twenty minutes." He grumbles.  
"Yes it was. Now move." I motion for him to get out of the bed. When his large body lumbers out of my way, I slide under the covers. Before I fall asleep, I hand him the top two blankets, leaving me with only one. He may be in danger of freezing to death, but I am not.

Verona told me I could not dream, and maybe this is true, but I dreamt from the instant I fell asleep to the instant I opened my eyes. Though, they were not dreams. My memories appeared before me, and the horrifying events of Castle Dracula occurred again, as though once was not enough. I do not see every minute of every day, but I do see pictures of that great hall where I learned to fly, Aleera's angry face, and worst of all, Dracula's face, eyes full of desire, grabbing me and kissing me, and not letting me go until…I wake with a start, as though someone had shouted.

"What?" I ask the darkness loudly. No one answers me. I scramble around in the blankets for a gun, but I keep my eyes fixed on the darkness of the cabin. If they have killed Van Helsing and are waiting for me, I need a gun right now. Panic jumps around in my stomach as I realize that no one is in the cabin, not even Van Helsing. Where is he? Did Dracula finally call him back? He cannot join their side when he is the only man to have come so close to killing all of them!

I pause to clear my head. In that moment, I see the gun resting on the chair beside the bed and I grab it. Now that I have armed myself against a non-existent enemy, I realize that it is more important to feed than it is to wait for a foe that is probably not going to come. I fling the blankets off of me and, in my haste, accidentally teleport forward so that I almost collide with the door. I open it and run out into forest. My boots smash snow under every step I take, and this sound seems far too thunderous to allow me to catch any prey. My second victim is a thin wolf, lost from its pack and starving in the bitter winter. I see the fear in the animal's eyes before I break its neck, but I tell myself afterwards that I did it a favor by killing it quickly. It would have died over a span of days, maybe weeks, if I had not come along.

The walk back to the cabin is more dangerous now that Van Helsing is not there. Or perhaps I am simply unnerved that someone like him, who seemed so strong and intelligent, could go back simply at the will of Count Dracula. Though, I should have suspected this. Is there anything he cannot do and will not do? Jesus Christ.  
However, when I return to the cabin, Van Helsing is sitting in that damn chair, looking uneasy. "Where the hell did you go?" I ask, more shocked than upset.  
"I went out."  
"I know that. Where did you go?" I scowl.  
"I didn't go anywhere. Just outside."

"Why?"  
"Goddammit, I don't owe you a story. Why did you go out?" He snarls, hunching his shoulders.  
I walk over to the window, uncover it, and cross my arms as I look out of it. Did he kill some defenseless animal like I had? Does he eat like a werewolf? Did he massacre some inn0cent stranger? Perhaps I am not as safe with him as I thought.  
He continues sitting and I continue watching for several minutes. When he speaks again, he sounds much calmer. "Did you learn anything while you were at Castle Dracula that could help us?"  
Most of what I saw or did there only reinforced what I already knew: vampires are inhuman monsters with no morals and no thought for anyone but themselves. However, some knowledge may be to our use, but I do not know exactly what. "Aleera is…" How can I put this delicately? I have always been told never to speak of such conditions with men, especially men outside my family. "…expecting."

"So?"  
"If you understand what I mean, then she won't—"  
"I understand." He interrupts, but more to prove that he isn't stupid than to insult me.  
"I think this might mean Dracula will feel more obligated to spend time with her, which will distract both of them."  
"She won't be going out and looking for us."  
"Yes." I suddenly feel quite slow not to have thought of that myself.  
"That still leaves the dark-haired one."  
"Verona is," I trail off. Verona would never have left me alone without a purpose. And she had known Van Helsing was there because she had threatened to kill him. My eyes widen, "Verona helped me."  
"That's strange." He sounds uninterested.  
"It is." I turn to face him. "She knew you had come to rescue me. That is why she left me in that room with no one to watch me."

"Why?" He rises from the chair.  
I am silent for a moment, but once my thoughts all connect, I begin to speak rapidly, "Verona is very unhappy with her life, and Aleera's pregnancy and my arrival have shaken her. Dracula promised Verona he wouldn't make Aleera pregnant, but I think that made Verona realize that no matter how long she lives, nothing will ever change. That is why she let me escape. It does not matter who joins our leaves them at the Castle because her life will never be what she wanted or still wants now."  
"Then she won't help him."  
"She must help him. But her heart will not be in whatever task he sets her to."  
"Then Dracula is left work against us alone."

I nod. "I wish that gave us more of an advantage."  
He steps closer. "You said we are safe here."  
"We are. Assuming he doesn't find the cabin while we are in it."  
"I won't let him hurt you." The sincerity in his voice touches me, but I cannot seem to return his gaze.  
"If he comes here, we will not be able to stop him."  
"You heard what Carl said. A werewolf can kill Dracula."  
"Have you counted how many days are left until the next full moon? Can we stay away from Dracula for three weeks? Do you think he will simply wait for me to return?" I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Do you want to kill Dracula or not?" He asks quietly.  
"Don't ask me stupid questions." I snap.  
I wait for him to respond, but he seems to have given up. He sits in the chair behind me, and the silence congeals between us. I wish I had not been so harsh with him. "You can sit down. I will hear anyone that comes within three hundred yards of this place."  
I do sit down, not because he invited me, but because I think it will be warmer to sit on the bed. I can hear snow falling onto the roof, and this cabin by no means well insulated. When I am seated, Van Helsing looks at me. "Did you really think I would kill you?"  
I am feel awkward under his steady eyes, and I do not understand why. Instead of looking directly at him, I stare down at my hands, rubbing them together to keep them warm. "I don't know."

"Yes you do."  
I scowl, but he grins. His teeth a very white and very straight and create a very attractive smile. "No, I didn't think you would kill me."  
"And yet you put on such a wonderful charade."  
"I was not sure of your intentions."  
He chuckles, and I blush at the double entendre. "Well, if I hadn't known your bark is worse than your bite, I would have asked you the same question."  
How dare he insinuate I am weak! "Why would I kill you?" I ask, raising my head to glare at him.  
"I believe you were horrified when you discovered your brother had bitten me, and I am surprised you do not hold it against me."  
"Perhaps I do hold it against you."  
"I could be wrong by assuming you don't. Do you?"

"If you will help me destroy Dracula then I will not kill you. Though, I cannot speak for the other people in my village."  
"As if they need another reason to want to kill me. Aside from the direct order from their precocious leader."  
I do not recall the exact definition of 'precocious,' but I don understand from his tone that he is insulting me. "Men stronger and smarter than you have tricked my people, Mr. Van Helsing."  
"So you won't apologize for ordering them to murder me?"  
"No."  
He laughs quietly. "Will you give the same commands again once we are amongst them again?"  
I raise my eyebrow, but answer. "No."

"Are we ever going to have that drink you promised me?"  
"No."  
"Then you force me to call you a liar."  
"I believe I said you'd earned a drink. Never did I say I would be the one to give it to you."  
"Am I to understand you would strongly dislike having a drink with me?"  
I would have never said something like that if I had not intended to follow through with it, but I remind myself that I cannot socialize while the undead son of the devil is looking to kidnap me again. "I don't drink."

"You drank that absinthe."  
I don't answer. "Were you trying to impress me?"  
"No."  
"Then you do drink."  
"Yes." I grumble.  
"My God, Anna, you are a liar."  
"You are intrusive and need to learn how to be silent!" I cough after I shout at him, trying not to laugh at the mock incredulity on his face.

He seems quite perturbed after I shout at him, and announces he is going to bed not long after. It is rather pathetic watching him shiver, but it is even sadder to watch him try to cover up the fact that he is shivering. I did not notice the temperature drop, but it must have. He didn't shiver while he slept before.  
"Are you alright?" I ask after a good half hour of his silent shaking.  
"Now who's intrusive?" He speaks very quickly, as if the energy he could spend talking to me would be better used to keep his body warm.

"Fine, you stupid man, freeze to death! God knows I don't give a damn!" I snap in Romanian.  
"What?" He asks, trying to sound aggressive, but just sounding exasperated.  
I inhale and try to calm myself. Fighting with him will get us both killed. I need him on my side. "Is there something I can do to help you get warmer?"  
"No."  
"I can look around and see if there are any—"  
"I don't need anything."

How typically male. Of course he does not want help from a woman when he is shivering like a newborn calf. "Move." Since we had switched places when he wanted to sleep, I now have to somehow fit both of us onto that narrow bed.  
"What?"  
"As much as it goes against the dictates of society, the only way you'll get warmer is with body heat."  
When he doesn't move I shove him forward so that he slides toward the wall. "This isn't necessary." His quivering mouth trips over the words, reinforcing that this is, in fact, necessary.  
"Yes it is. Neither of us wants to do this, but the closer we are, the warmer we will both be."  
I slip under the blankets and lie there next to him. For about thirty seconds I wait for him to roll over, but his shaking back does not move.

"This only works if we are touching." I remind him, blushing horribly at the thought of what some of the women in town would say about me if they knew I was crawling into a man's bed.  
He seems to have been waiting for such an invitation, because he turns, pulls me against him, and buries his face in my neck with such speed that I almost gasp. Gasping now would make us both even more embarrassed. I cannot say I dislike his powerful arms around my waist, nor can I say that I am angered by the muscles I can feel pressed against my stomach. He holds me like a frightened child holds a doll, pressing me against him as hard as he can. His skin feels like ice and I resist the urge to shove him away because of my mental and physical discomfort.

It takes only a few minutes for the shivering to stop. His breathing slows. His heart stops pumping his blood so hastily. His gentle breath against my skin turns my face an even darker crimson, and I am glad he is no longer awake. I will not deny that I liked being in his arms, I liked smelling him under the scents of perspiration and blood, and I liked feeling his soft hair under my fingers. I fall asleep entwined with a man I am not married to, and somehow I know that God will forgive me this time.

* * *

Oooohhhh. I hope Gabriel doesn't get too happy and wake up Anna, if you know what I mean...Review! 


	13. The Trifecta

**Author's Note:**

Lostsoul99 and DrusillaBraun: Luckily Drac didn't show up and castrate Gabriel! Yay!!

vamplady101: You know, I did think of that, but here is my rationale: Anna is a very young vampire, (less than two weeks old) and is therefore probably still very human-like. And she had been feeding every day, which makes her warm--at least temporarily.

Okay party people, this is gonna be intense, but stick with me. I know this scene has a very nice Van Helsing we haven't seen before, but he can't be surly and masculine all the time, can he?

* * *

The dreams of Dracula don't stop. The dreams are choppier and seem to convey a rising sense of panic on his part. The longer I am able to hide from him, the higher my chances are of being able to stay hidden forever, and he knows this. When I wake up the next evening, I am filled with an overwhelming feeling of defeat. If Dracula walked up to this cabin tonight, could Van Helsing and I really stop him with a few guns, a crossbow, and a knife?

Van Helsing begins to fumble with words the instant he notices I am awake, "I…I brought you…" He clears his throat. "Please go outside."  
"Why?" I sound sleepy and girlish, so I clear my throat as well. "For what reason?"  
"Just look. Please." He adds, trying to be polite.  
I push myself off of the bed and meander outside. Before I open the door, the metallic scent of blood rushes to my nostrils, and the beast is shocked into life. As the demon takes control of my mind, a hunger pang hits my stomach and I vaguely realize that it is astounding that I can go from a normal person to a near-ravenous monster in an instant.

A few feet to the left off me is a dead animal. Though, surely it must have been living minutes ago. Its stomach bleeds onto the snow, creating a pink splash across the ice. I kneel before it, slash at its neck with my fingernails until I rupture the skin, and drink the lukewarm blood that spills from it.

Before I stand up again, I scoop clean snow into my mouth and wait for it to melt. I rinse my mouth out twice, and cringe as the water that comes from my lips is just as pink as the snow the animal had died on. I carry the dead body out into the forest and drop it a safe distance away. I don't want it anywhere near the cabin. Van Helsing is waiting in the doorway when I return. "You're welcome."  
"I didn't ask you to do that."  
"I know."

I brush past him, yanking the ring I had forgotten about off of my finger and throwing it to the floor. Goddamn Dracula. Damn him to hell. For the rest of my goddamn life I will be killing things to consume their blood and embarrassing myself in front of whoever happens to be near when I wake up in the evenings. The honorable thing to do would be to kill myself in the name of God. Van Helsing can destroy Dracula without me. Shame washes over me as I realize that I do not want to commit suicide because I am afraid of eternal hellfire. I am scared of never seeing my family again, no matter how obvious the fate of my soul is.

I watch Van Helsing stoop to pick up the ring and examine with mild interest. He moves it around his hand as he pulls the chair to the side of the bed and sits in it, facing me. "I want to thank you for what you did last night, as much as it offended your morals. You were right."  
I know I was right. He should have just listened to me without protesting. "You sound as though it did not offend your morals."

"Call me what you like, but my life is more significant than anything I stand for." I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised by that statement. I thought a man from the Vatican would be much more ideological and foolish than this.  
He holds the wedding band up to me and asks, "Why did you marry him?"  
I do not want to admit that I cared about what happened to him when we are still only acquaintances. Though, do acquaintances share a bed? "I had no choice."  
"He made you walk down the aisle." He shakes his head. "That bstard."  
"No, he didn't make me walk…" I hate lying to people who trust me. Is it safe to assume he trusts me? He must know that we can only work together if we trust each other.  
"You married him of your own free will?"

"Of course I did not want to!" I cry in my own defense.  
"Then why didn't you protest? Or say anything!?"  
"Because," I look down at my fingernails, "Verona said she would kill you if I interrupted in any way."  
I cannot see his face, but I can only imagine the smug look he must be trying to conceal. "But don't let that inflate your head, Van Helsing. You were going to get me out of there and I needed you alive."  
"You don't need me anymore?"  
"I wish I did not." I mutter. I do not like the fact that someone outside the family has a better chance of killing Dracula than a Valerious does.

"On that note," I look back up at him. "When are we leaving?"  
I shrug. My heart, usually the voice of the Valerious within me, cannot seem to muster the strength to care. "Today, tomorrow, it doesn't matter."  
He frowns, but before I can speak again, a blinding pain shoot through my head. My demon recognizes that the master is sending me images to remind me of what I am sacrificing by staying away form him, and visions of his skin in the soft light of candles makes me flush with shame.

I bow my head and cover my face with my hands, half from pain and half from embarrassment. My confused body fights with itself, remembering the conflicting feelings of satisfaction and humiliation. "Anna?" Van Helsing's voice calls out to me from miles and miles away.  
Images of Dracula's face above mine, that horrific picture of me through his eyes as we moved as one beneath the sheets, Aleera's hand creeping over my bare stomach. The disgrace wells up in me again and I cannot seem to speak. I won't leave this place! I won't make myself face him just to be taken again! I cannot go back there! "No!" I reach out for something to hold, but I cannot see anything. Blackness and fading images of naked bodies cloud my sight, and I almost scream when large hands grab me. "Anna!"

Van Helsing shakes me until the pictures disappear from my mind. "Anna, you're safe. Anna, look at me."  
"I won't go back. He will take me again." My words sound desperate and frightened.  
"No he won't Anna. I won't let him." Van Helsing looks into my eyes and tightens his grip on my arms.  
"Dammit, you couldn't stop him the first time! I can't go back there!"

He throws be back and I slam against the wall of the cabin. I think if I had been standing he would have knocked me unconscious. He rises and walks away from the bed I am sitting on.  
"What the hell happened to you?" He shouts. "I used to have to stop you from going and getting yourself killed and now you won't even go back to your own damn house!"  
How dare he tell me that. He has no idea what I've been through. "You don't know what it's like there." My own voice cannot seem to rise and meet his. I sound pathetic and defeated.  
"For Christ's sake! What do you do there? He dresses you up in dresses and forces you go to parties and you fall apart?" He whirls around to face me, confused and upset.  
"Stop—" I protest feebly, feeling my insides turn cold.

"Did he beat you? Did he make you murder people?" He cries, sounding exasperated.  
"No…" My eyes fill up with tears, and I seem to have no energy to fight them.  
"Did he rape you? Did he—"  
He trails off as the tears begin to fall down my cheeks. He is right. This is what Dracula has reduced the last of the Valerious to. Of all of the ways he could have broken me, I was broken with an act that caused not pain, but pleasure. Now he knows that I am weak and sinful, and cannot even spare me his anger.

I begin walking towards the door before I even realize that I am standing. I can hardly see where I am walking because of my tears, but I do not have to. Van Helsing's hand grabs mine and pulls me to him. I lay my heavy head on his chest and he encloses me in his arms. The minutes elongate and I become lost in my feelings. His hand strokes my hair and he lets me cry. I hear him whisper. "I'm sorry, Anna."

He carefully lifts me off of my feet and carries me to the bed. When he is seated I am left sitting on his lap, but I can tell he is not trying to do anything to make me uncomfortable. This is exactly what I needed when I was left alone in a cold room in Castle Dracula. Someone to hold me and let me cry without questioning why I was crying or berating me when he or she discovered the reasons. Van Helsing holds me close and apologizes again, and I find myself unconsciously forgiving him. I need this man to do my duty, but somehow I know I will think of him long after we have finished the task at hand and he has gone.

He continues to hold me even after I stop crying. "Forgive me, Anna. I had no right to belittle what has happened to you."  
"I couldn't stop him. I didn't want it." I whisper quickly, my thoughts forming much faster than I can speak them.  
"I know." His hand moves up and down my back soothingly. "You don't have to defend yourself."

We sit together in silence. My arms rest around his shoulders and his hand still holds me to him several minutes later. He seems to have become tense, and I worry that perhaps I have been too emotional for him, but he still won't let me get up. When he speaks again, his voice sounds more authoritative. "I know you have been hurt, Anna, but I need you to help me. I will kill him for what he has done to you, but you must be willing to fight with me."  
I nod. "I am acting foolish." My family would be ashamed of me if they were still alive.

"No, you needed this." He pauses. "We will leave in an hour. I want you to sleep now."  
"I'm not tired."  
"Then just lie down." He lifts me off of him and sets me onto the bed. He rises, still seeming irritated. I hope I haven't intruded on his kindness. I comply with his wishes and rest for a while. I can hear him putting things in bags and loading weapons behind me, but the time does allow my thoughts to make sense again. Yes, I have had a horrible experience, but I cannot let that stop me now that we have come so close to killing Dracula. I will help Van Helsing. I have an obligation to destroy the demon that had wreaked havoc on my family and my land and nothing he can to will stop me.

When I get up again, we go outside to only one horse. Where is the other horse? When I inquire about it, Van Helsing coughs and answers, "It must have run off. Just get on." The poor horse is already laden with the bags both horses carried on the frantic arrival here, and now both of us will be riding it back? It's a wonder it hasn't died already with there being no foliage for it to eat.  
He climbs up to sit behind me, and we begin the slow trip back to Vaseria. He keeps his hands on the reins, which partially encloses me in his arms. This makes me feel safe, though I know we are extremely vulnerable until we reach my home again. His heart beat is irregular, sometimes fast and other times lazy and slow. The horse trots through the ethereal woods, and I am sure it relies entirely on Van Helsing's gentle tugs to know when to turn. How he knows the way back I do not know, but soon the rear wall of Vaseria comes into view.

He instructs me to wait outside while he checks the house, but I follow him in anyway. I expected chairs to be knocked over, torches to be thrown to the ground, or some sign that an angry vampire searched the house for me, but I find very few. Every door is open, except the doors that lead outside, and area around the frosty archway seems different, though I do not know the reason I think this. Perhaps now that I now see the snowy ground beyond the passageway has thrown off my perceptions. Van Helsing must still see it as a mirror, but I see it as just a doorway filled with a solid ice.

Without a word I go around and relight all the torches on the bottom floor. We used to have maids and servants to do this, back when I was very, very young. One night we came home to find two of them dead with bite marks on their necks and chests and the others all missing, and for some reason no one is inclined to want to work in the Valerious household anymore.  
Once the rooms are all lit, I find Van Helsing eating in the kitchen. I still feel rather tired from my minor breakdown back in the cabin, but I can tell the only person he is thinking about happens to be my husband. "We'll go tomorrow. There would be no sense in going tonight."

I nod. "How will we kill him?"  
"You will go first. You have to distract Dracula while I take care of the brides."  
"No. Last time that did not work."  
He chews thoughtfully, as if he had honestly forgotten how dismal the failure of the last attempt to destroy Dracula was. "Then we should both go after the brides first."  
"No. That will leave us a furious Dracula. If we can kill Dracula first, his brides will die." I ponder this for a moment, then seize up with fear. I am a bride. I will die when Dracula dies. Van Helsing will kill me when he kills Dracula. Oh my God. I cannot go to hell! I have worked too hard in God's name to go to hell! My conscience attacks my selfish instincts with the idea that I should be willing to sacrifice my life for my family -- which I would do without a thought under different circumstances. God damn Dracula!

"What?" Van Helsing asks, only somewhat concerned with my expression. It is obvious that he is struggling to be careful of my feelings while forming plans for tomorrow at the same time.  
"But how will you kill him if you cannot turn into a wolf?" I ask, forcing calm words from my mouth.  
He inhales after swallowing a large mouthful of bread. "I know this will sound strange, but there is a part of me that wants to go back. I can't control this part of me…but…" He trails off, looking embarrassed. "I know I will be able to at the right time." He mutters, taking another bite to save himself from speaking. Could he possibly have something similar to the demon in me? If only he had said more. Would he have been revolted to hear that I have an inner beast as well or interested? I should not tell him anyway, for I am to cure him tomorrow evening.

We discuss other specifics of the next evening, such as how to arm ourselves, how I will slip away to get the werewolf antidote, and how dangerous this will be now that there is no Frankenstein monster to distract Dracula while we enter his lair. We determine that, if all the plans go wrong, we must always work together, no matter who is killed first. Separating and working alone obviously did not work and will not work, but this time is our last chance. My last thought is not literally spoken, but I can sense a looming cloud of finality hanging of our conversation. If we do not succeed, I will go back to Dracula's castle forever, Van Helsing will be killed, and I will live the rest of my days under the watchful eye of the man I loathe more than Satan himself.

After a good forty minutes I begin to feel as though our plans are running in circles, so I stand and exit the room leaving him to digest in silence. I climb the stairs with an unhurried gait and go to a spot my mother used to stand in when worried. She would lean against a windowsill, the window of which looked down at the houses of the village. When she would come home with scratches and bruises from a narrow escape, she would exclaim that her own two children were smarter than some of the babies in this village. At other times she would gaze out at small town in silence. I would hug her legs and she would pat my head or stroke my hair and whisper that it was difficult to be a mama to every gypsy in our village. I never understood what she meant until after she died and I was temporarily the mama of our village. It is not fair that our people are so frightened and have to live so carefully. They deserve a life like the other gypsies in Romania, full of happiness and music. Instead they live in dark, rotting houses and dare to go outside only in groups and only for purposes absolutely necessary for their survival.

Heavy boots stomp up the staircase, ruining the somber quietude of the second floor. "Anna, we can't destroy him."

"Yes we can." I do not turn away from the window.  
"No, Anna. If I kill him, you will—"  
"Then I will die. I have already died once and I will do it again."  
"I cannot let that happen." He sounds concerned as he steps closer to me.  
"There is no other way. You will kill us both." I murmur. "The Church will understand. Then I will be relieved of the sin of taking my own life."

His next question is spoken in a surprised voice, "You will commit suicide?"  
"Not before he is dead."  
"And after?"  
"I will not be alive for an after. But if I do die again, I will know he is dead. I will have nothing to live for after his death anyway."  
"Your people need you."

"They need a ruler who can protect them. They do not need a vampire." I am irritated by his questions and the truths they make me discover. "If I am not killed by Dracula's death, my village will kill me. The Vatican will have me killed. Perhaps I am being saved the anxiety of knowing I will be murdered."  
"Do not talk that way." He says forcefully, grabbing my arms and turning me to face him.

"Why not?" I snap. "It's all true. You know it's true." I throw his hands off of me and walk away, almost nauseous with the swirling emotions coursing through me. I find myself in the armory a few seconds later, and I automatically begin putting bullets into guns and finding swords to sharpen. I move mechanically through the activities that I have spent days doing in the past. I clean weapons, place weapons in their proper places, sharpen weapons on a grindstone that has its own room, load weapons, fix weapons, even take them apart to check each individual piece. The work has no point to it, but it eats away the time until sunrise. For the last hour or so, I can sense Van Helsing's heart beat nearby. He must have been watching me. I fall asleep in the first bedroom I find on the bottom floor the instant the sun rises.

"Wake up." Van Helsing's grunt rouses me the next night. "Drink this." He pulls me arms so that I jerk into a sitting position and shoves a large, hot mug into my hands. Trusting him in my hazy consciousness, I drain the mug, which happened to hold copious amounts of fresh blood. I wonder what he had to kill to get it for me.

We jump into life. I grab guns and that silver poleaxe I had tried to take before and I see Van Helsing shove his shurikens and several stakes into various pockets of his overcoat. We hurry to the doorway and Van Helsing wastes no time in shoving his way through it. I follow, the icy gel allowing me to pass to Dracula's side much easier than it let me pass through to my home when we escaped. He grabs my hand and we run to the doorway, quickly pass over it, and soon land in the entrance hall without a sound. His rapid heart rate gives our presence away more than his controlled breathing.

I do not even notice that he has not let go of my hand until we pass unnoticed into the next hall. And the next hall. How can they not know we are here? They must know. They must be waiting to ambush us. I pull my hand out of his and wind my fingers around one of the pistols I brought with me. Fear creeps over my chest, making it cold and tight. Where are they?

Many things happen in the next second, and I barely understand them as they occur. A cackling laugh and the metallic sound of a stake being wielded turn me around to see Aleera and Verona wrestling Van Helsing into submission. I can only c0ck my gun in the time it takes them to grab his arms, pull them out and away from his body, and force his knees to the ground. However, a hand grabs my arm and holds it like a vice, spinning me around to see the livid face of Count Dracula. "Hello Anna."

I stare into his eyes and he stares into mine. Never in my life have I seen look as demonic as he looks now. He throws me to the ground, and I feel my skull slap against the floor. "You dare to come before me armed! You dare to stand before me!" He shouts. Instantaneous paralysis forbids me from responding, but I am soon dragged to my knees by the throat. I see my pistol and my poleaxe several feet away, and I realize I must have been unconscious long enough for him to kick them away. "You said you never beat a bride." I gasp, feeling almost too lightheaded to speak.

"Never before has a bride betrayed me as you have!" He lets me drop and turns away, his rage inhibiting his ability to talk. I have the feeling that if I stand again he will knock me down, so I continue sitting on my legs.  
"Why?" He cries. "For what reason did you abandoned your home?"  
"I never pretended to consider this place my home."  
"But did you try, Anna? Did you try to change your mind? Did you give me a chance?" He does not care about what I think of this castle, and his injured pride draws the focus of his ranting to himself.  
"You cannot make me love you." My voice becomes softer as his grows louder.

"Why can't I? Does your heart lust for another? Him? Tell me, Anna, why would Gabriel come for you if he did not expect something in return?"  
I stiffen. I need him to focus on me. The more attention Dracula gives me, the less he will be expecting Van Helsing to turn into a wolf. "You do not understand kindness, and that is—"  
"I should have known you would run from me. You gypsy women are all the same. Marry one man, and move on to the next."

Fury bursts inside me, sending hot waves of rage through my entire body. He may insult me all he likes, but I will not allow him to insult my people. "You bstard!" I shriek, rising to my feet.  
I see his arm stretch back, but his hand moves so quickly that I do not even see it strike my face. I fall to the floor, my head already throbbing with pain, as he spits more insults towards me. "Never will you speak ill of your husband. You will be mine again, arrogant, stubborn wh0re, and I shall watch you grow to need me. You will bear my children and watch them live, Anna, and if you ever—"

The sound of metal slicing flesh silences him. I turn, anxiety, shame, and panic all bubbling inside me, to see both of Verona's hands clasped around the stake buried deep in her chest. Van Helsing and Aleera are both stunned, but Verona looks very calm and sure. The tears make Verona's eyes gleam in the shadowy light, just as the stake she shoved into her own body glimmers inn0cently. Her gaze touches mine for a brief second, and I almost cry out. All of the emotions she feels now suddenly enter me in an electric jolt. She cannot watch this man, the only man she ever loved, lose even more of himself in the struggles he creates. She will not give herself to this callous, deceitful man any longer. He promised her she would be happy forever with their children, here, in this home, but everything has gone so wrong. She could have forgotten the pain of not being enough of a woman for him if she had had her children. Empty promises, the monotony of having her needs forgotten or disregarded, and the decades that have stolen her emotions have hollowed her. Perhaps in hell she will learn to feel again.

Verona falls to her knees, her dress fluttering around her and her eyes straying back to Dracula's. I know, somehow, that the look upon her face will haunt me forever. Her body liquefies and disappears before I can discern any more. A second of complete and total silence is followed by Aleera's resounding scream. "Master!" She screeches, releasing Van Helsing's arm and darting to him.

She grabs him and holds him to her, but he is bewildered to the point of immobility by Verona's suicide. Terror rings through my head at the thought of what will happen to us once he recovers, but a quick glance back at Van Helsing reveals that beast in him might save us. His glowing amber eyes stare back at me, and I know in that instant that I should run. He doubles over as I scramble forward for the stake that had destroyed the only bride Dracula would mourn with a broken heart. When I grab it, the silver stings my palm, but I have only a second to realize that before someone shoves me into the wall in front of me.

I hear animalistic screams and cloth ripping, and I can only assume that Aleera has come to take me away while Dracula tries to kill Van Helsing. I push myself away from the wall, swinging the stake as I turn, and Aleera shrieks as it slashes her arm. The cut hisses, but soon disappears as she transforms into her true bestial form. She grabs my arm and throws me back towards the doorway to the hall. Within a second I have allowed the demon feed off of my fear and anger, and change into the white monster I loathe. I see dark blurs smashing into the walls in my peripheral vision and vaguely comprehend that I should get as far away as I can from Van Helsing and Dracula. I beat my wings against the air to lessen the impact, and instead of crashing into the wall, I use it to shoot forward and fly out of the doorway into the neighboring hall.

Aleera, only inches behind me, screams, "It is your fault! You have hurt the master!" as she throws my body down to the ground. The fall breaks at least three bones in my body, but I feel them mend themselves as I push myself up, the stake now causing my hand to burn. Her claw-like foot kicks into my stomach and I gasp as the breath is forced from my lungs. I find myself on my back, my torso and head throbbing as my body labors to recover. Aleera's orange waves tickle my face as she snarls. "I will kill you and the master and I will finally be alone, Anna." Her mouth opens wide, her smooth fangs almost touching my neck, but she inhales sharply as I force the silver stake up into the bottom of her ribcage. Her wide eyes and gaping mouth tell me that she had forgotten I was a vampire. She had honestly not expected me to be able to kill her, and I almost laugh at her stupidity.

I do not wait to watch her skin boil over and disappear as Verona's had, and I shove her disintegrating body away from me. She howls and shrieks and those noises compliment the horrific sight my eyes see before me. Though they are in the next hall, the hulking bodies of Dracula and Van Helsing seem very near. The muscles flexing and straining against their skin frighten me, but the blood-stained claws and hideous face of Count Dracula frightens me even more. I watch as his talons rip massive gashes into the dark fur of the werewolf, but the wolf digs his jagged claws into the beast's chest and roars. I should rush to Van Helsing's aid, but I allow the adrenaline to carry me out of the hall and away from the fight. I can fly much quicker than I can walk to the tower holding the antidote, and when I burst in through the window, my shaking hands grab the syringe from the top of a stone pedestal. Prayers, memories, and screaming, incensed hysteria race through my mind. This is all that is left. I condemn myself to death, but I will accept it willingly. Verona and Aleera are dead and Dracula is now losing the fight to live.

Time slows as I descend onto the battle. I die for my God, for my people, and my family. I will burn in eternal hell if only to ensure Count Dracula will burn with me. My pulse beats in my ears and my manic trepidation of failure forbids me from concentrating and forces my body to return to its normal form. I fall through the air, watching the black ooze spurt from Dracula's grotesque throat as Van Helsing's jaws puncture the skin. The needle falls onto the wolf's back, and my white hand presses the liquid into him. I close my eyes and fall into eternity.

* * *

OMG, is Anna really dead this time? Is this story over? I can't tell you that now, but I will advise you to watch your inbox in the near future...:D


	14. The Phoenix

**Author's Note:**

To All Reviewers: You all basically said the same thing. You are all very sweet and gracious to compliment me so much:) Though at least one of you thought the story was over...it isn't. It is far from over. In fact, I believe I said before it has no end...

Did you know its exactly two months since I updated it last? I know, you've all probably moved on and deserted me, but I hope this will attract you all back. I love your reviews so much. Thank you all who will (Possibly!) stick with me. Now that my classes have ended we can all get back to what really matters: Gabriel and Anna!

* * *

I drop the wet cloth onto his chest and gasp. Where am I? What have I been doing? I am sitting on a bed, in my own house, next to Van Helsing's body, which is naked from the waist up. The gashes on his chest have closed, but my instinct tells me to clean and bandage them. Pain ripples through my head as I try to think back. Van Helsing had fed me like one would feed a sick child. I had been so close leaving this world…The pain beats between my eyebrows, an annoying reminder of the past. I had fed in the forest over and over again, animal after animal…then I had come here…but he had already fainted….

My shaking hand picks up the washcloth and absently tends to his wounds. What had happened? Had Dracula really died? Why am I still here? Is Van Helsing dead? I remember that I had asked him that previously. My face flushes with embarrassment at the thought of my stupid question and the realization that I am in a bedroom, with the door closed, with an unmarried man who seems to have lost his shirt.  
I brush the washcloth away and grasp his shoulders. "Van Helsing. Van Helsing." I shake his limp torso, begging him to wake. When his eyes open, they seem to swirl around in his head before focusing on me. "Mmmmm." He groans. He must be in pain.

"Is Dracula dead? Did you kill him?" I must look insane with anxiety.  
"Yes." He breathes. "He's…dead…." His eyes flutter and close again. The heart just below his skin pumps blood through him at a dangerously slow rate.

I finish caring for his wounds in an ecstatic daze. He's dead. He's finally dead. I leave the room to wash my hands and put away the bandages, but I find myself crying at the kitchen table. The happy tears offer themselves to God, willing him to overlook my unwanted death and accept my ancestors into his kingdom. Now that every Valerious has given his life, shall we be blessed?

Though I have joy enough to shed tears, my brain cannot understand what life will be now that Count Dracula is dead. My entire life has been lived with one purpose, just one goal, and now that it is completed, I cannot think of what I shall do for the rest of my days. My exhausted mind will not extend very far into the future because of my uninhibited elation and the headache, so I climb the stairs back up to Van Helsing's room.

In the warm light of the torch, I dress him in one of my father's old shirts. As I pull the sleeves over his rough hands, I notice two grubby pieces of cloth tied around each wrist. I carefully unwrap the bandages with a morbid curiosity. What had happened to his wrists? Had he wanted to kill himself? Had the werewolf antidote not worked? A flutter of fear passes through my stomach, but somehow I know he is human again. I can sense that his is weaker now than when I knew him before, not just because of his injuries…but something else…

After I tend to the two new wounds, I force him to wake again and help him drink some water. The rest of the evening is uneventful. I find my rosary and pray for almost every person I can think of. My village, my family, Van Helsing…Hail Mary, full of grace….

_Născătoare de Dumnezeu, Fecioară, bucură-te _

_ceea ce eşti plină de dar, _

_Domnul este cu tine, _

_binecuvântată eşti tu între femei _

_şi binecuvântat este rodul pântecelui tău, _

_că ai născut pe Christos, _

_mântuitorul sufletelor noastre_

I fear to leave Van Helsing in my home with no protection in his weakened state, but nothing can keep that deep hunger within me from being satiated. Feeding blurs past me, and when I return, I find Van Helsing murmuring my name. "What? I'm here, what?" I ask quickly.  
"Can I have something to eat?" His whispers seem stronger than last night.  
"Yes, of course. Can you chew?"  
"Yes…" He inhales as though he is going to cough, but resumes breathing normally.

The motions are automatic. Bread, some old and possibly spoiled cheese, and stale cookies from God knows how long ago soon find their way up to Van Helsing's room. "Are you in much pain?"  
"No."  
I place another piece of bread into his open hand and help him lift the arm towards his mouth. "Are you able to move all your arms and legs?" I cross myself without thinking at the possibility of his paralysis.  
"Yes."  
I frown. "Then what ails you?"  
"He motions for more water. "Blood loss."  
I help him to the restroom within the hour. He seems so frightfully pale and shaky. Nothing like the tall, strong, handsome man that had rescued me twice and murdered the enemy my family had desperately tried to kill.

He sleeps for several hours. I pass the time deep in thought. My village's opinion of this man will now be extremely different. There will be banquets in his honor, baby boys given his name, his birthday celebrated as a holiday as important as Christmas. This man came here just to fulfill a mission, and he has done whatever it took to do so. I owe him so much. There is a law that was instated just over a century ago that whoever killed Dracula would be rewarded with the Princess' hand in marriage. If there was no princess at that time, then he would get his pick of any of the unmarried women in the village. Now, however, there is a princess. I would marry this man if he accepted the reward of my people. He is smart and good-looking and strong enough to protect me, and according to my mother these are the only things a man needs to make a perfect husband.

I was finishing the second rosary I had prayed over him a few hours later when he woke. "…and forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation—"  
"But deliver us from evil."  
I look up, almost dropping my rosary. "Amen." I watch his eyes open, wider and more clearly than they had before.  
He tries to sit up, but only succeeds after I help him. The effort of moving seems to have drained him, and his white countenance winces before settling into a comfortable place on the bed. "Have you done the entire rosary just for me?"  
Normally I would have scowled and not responded, but now I feel like taking his hand in mine. "Yes."  
"That's a long time."  
"Perhaps I grew tired of watching you sleep."  
He tries to smile. "You were watching me sleep?"  
I smile, glad his eyes are still partially closed. "You should have let me finish."

"I was surprised. I have been told that people in the East use prayer ropes."  
"What is that?"  
"I'm not sure. But I appreciate the gesture. I need all the prayers I can get."  
"You have done a great service to God, Mr. Van Helsing. You need no one's prayers."  
"My name is Gabriel."  
What a beautiful name. Gabriel. Like the archangel who told Mary of her blessed child. "Are you asking me to address you by that name?"  
"I would prefer it."

"It would not be respectful for me to address an unmarried acquaintance by his first name."  
"Am I still your acquaintance? I suppose we must share a bed more than once to become friends."  
I almost scold him for mocking me, but the lopsided, weak smile on his tired face softens my reaction. "You could tell me more about yourself."  
He moistens his lips and swallows two gulps of water before speaking again. "I can tell you more about what happened when Dracula died."

I scoot closer to him on the bed. I feel as though he is sharing personal information, but I catch myself before I lean in. I don't want to make him uncomfortable. "After you passed out, and I had…changed back to normal, I cut my wrists."  
"Why?" I whisper, my tone of voice matching his.  
"I couldn't let you die, Anna. No matter what you said you were going to do. I couldn't let you die."  
I blush, glad his eyes are closed. Why would he save me? I do not let my mind wander very far, but the possibility of him having feelings for me skates across my conscience.  
"I made you drink my blood—"  
He is interrupted by my embarrassed gasp. "You should not have done that."

"Nothing happened to me. I won't become a vampire." He drinks more water. "I got you out of there somehow and brought you in here. I do not remember much else. I kept killing things in the woods and bringing you the blood. I thought you had died, but I didn't stop. But now all of that has caught up with me."  
I find myself leaning over him in amazement, and I straighten my back with a blush. "How long was I…" What is the right word for what I had been? Dead? I cannot believe he went through all that trouble to make sure I did not die again.

"A day, or perhaps less. It doesn't matter. You're alive. And you're safe." He breathes a deep breath through his nose and opens his eyes. "I know you said you wanted to die, Anna, but I have to protect you, and I will. From anyone and anything. Even your own mind."  
A lump forms in my throat. How can a man half dead make such promises? How can he even think of doing his job at such a time? "Van Helsing, I—"  
"Gabriel."  
I want him to stay and be celebrated, but I do not want him preventing me from doing what I should do, as distorted as my obligations seem to me now. "Gabriel…thank you."

Once we stop conversing, he falls asleep almost instantaneously. One meal and one day later, he seems much healthier. He sits up in bed by himself and even asks for something to do. "Do you know where my bag is?"  
"No."  
"Find it and we can play cards."  
"You do not have to entertain me."  
"I believe I'm trying to entertain myself."  
When I bring him the bag, I try to leave, but his deep voice calls me back. "Do not leave. Part of being a nurse is being kind to the patients."  
"I am kind to patients. You, sir, are not acting sick enough to qualify as a patient."  
"But I am bedridden." He smirks as he digs around for his deck of cards.  
"But you have nearly recovered. Play solitaire."

"Cards are no fun without someone to play them with."  
"You could invent a game." I muse, leaning against the doorway.  
"Are you out of excuses yet?" He shuffles the cards like an expert. I wish I could shuffle cards that way…  
"Excuse me?"  
"Is my company so repulsive that you must try desperately to get away from me? All I want is a card game and you won't get near me." He raises an eyebrow.  
"I…don't want to play cards."  
"Everyone likes playing cards. Now tell me the truth. Why won't you sit down and play a game of cards with me?" He holds the deck out towards me.  
I feel my face turn hot with discomfort. "I don't know how to play cards. I never had time to learn."  
He laughs a deep, rich laugh. "All that because you don't know how to play cards? My God, Anna, I thought I was making some sort of social blunder by asking you to play a game with me."  
"Do not tease me…" I mutter, straightening up.

"Alright. But sit down. I can teach you how to play poker."  
Though I am thoroughly ashamed of my naiveté, Van Helsing is a good teacher, and I can soon play without his aid. We use beads from his bag (I suspect from a broken rosary) as a form of currency. Halfway through the first fair game, he asks casually, "What is our prize?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"In competitions there is usually a prize the participants play for. I am merely curious as to what the participant with the most beads will receive." He grins, displaying his white, straight teeth.  
"I don't know. What would you desire? Money?"  
"No, I do not need money."  
A few turns pass before I speak again. "I have an idea."  
"For my winnings?"  
"If you win, then I will allow you to escort me to the banquet."

"What banquet?"  
"After you recover, we will announce Dracula's death and after that only the return of Jesus Christ would stop my village from beginning a party that very moment. We have lived in hell for hundreds of years, but no gypsy can forget how to host a party."  
"I see. But you assume I would want to escort you to such an event."  
I arch my eyebrow. "Then I revoke my offer." How uncouth!  
"No, no, please." He chuckles. "That is a fine offer that I hope to accept soon.  
"And if I win?" I ask, inwardly smiling. He must be attracted to me to want to take me to a banquet. Or is he trying not to offend me?

"Yes, Princess. What do you want from me?" The innuendo is just faint enough for me to detect.  
"Nothing you are thinking of, I'm sure." I shove a pile of beads forward. I have full confidence in my bluffing skills. These skills, and my ability to detect Van Helsing's nervous heartbeats, allow me to win the game. I laugh and drop my cards onto the bed, clapping as he realizes the bluff I had gotten past his copious experience. "Well, damn. I've lost to a woman. I think you've shamed me Anna Valerious."  
I smile as he says my name, enjoying the sound on my ears. "I was taught well."  
"Best two out of three?" He has already begun shuffling the cards.  
'Two out of three' quickly becomes 'Three out of five?' which turns into 'six out of eleven?' which evolves into 'ten out of nineteen?' By the eighteenth game, both of us are having too much fun to care who wins. I would not mind going with him, and I do not even know what my prize will be. He is quite funny when he wants to be, and I do not recall laughing this much in several years. I had no idea the stern, authoritative Van Helsing had a sense of humor.

The two successive blinks give his bluff away. In a sweeping defeat, I leave him beadless and he laughs as I scoop them all towards me as though I intended to keep every single one. "There. Now are you properly humiliated?"  
"Why, yes." He chuckles, rubbing his face. "I should have instructed you to keep your eyes on your cards."  
I help him put the deck away and clean up the beads. "I think I should inform you that I gave away my last hand to save your honor." He teases.  
"Oh no you didn't. You cannot pretend you were not trying your hardest to defeat me."  
"What indulgence shall you fulfill in claiming your prize? I almost fear what you will think up."  
"Do not think of me as a nefarious woman!"  
"I jest. I know you to be most honorable." He places his hand to his chest to make a noble pose.  
I giggle. "No, I know what I require of you, oh defeated poker player." I sit down a little closer to him than would be acceptable to a chaperone. "I am going to interrogate you, and you must tell me the truth."  
The jovial atmosphere suddenly fades. "Very well." He sits back, resting against the pillows. Father's shirt is almost too small for him. I must admit that gypsy men do not have muscles as big as Van Helsing's.

"What country were you born in?"  
"I do not know. I speak German. Van Helsing is a German or Polish name."  
"You do not know where you were born?"  
He shakes his head. "I have a poor memory."  
His voice and face both seem sincere, so I ask another question. "How old are you?"  
"I don't know. I am not young. I don't feel young. But I have no grey hairs."  
I smile. "Are you married?"  
"The Vatican discourages me from becoming romantically linked to any woman."  
I manage to keep my face blank. "Do you regret coming to Transylvania?"  
"No."

I blink. I would be somewhat regretful if I was in his position. "Do you attend Mass?"  
"As often as I can."  
I breathe in slowly, watching his face in the light of the torch. "Why did you kiss me at Castle Dracula?"  
His chest rises and falls as we look into each other's eyes. I expected him to look away, for most men do when confronted with a situation when they acted ungentlemanly, but Van Helsing is not embarrassed of his past actions. I find myself equally distrustful and approving of his steady gaze. "I wanted to."  
I swallow. "Why?"

"I had no other way to express myself. We were both scared, and I could not find words to tell you that I was thinking more about your safety than my own." Now I find myself staring down into my hands.  
"And you looked so beautiful. You still do." He pauses briefly, "You always do." His fingers brush the hair hiding my face away from my eyes.  
"Goodnight Gabriel." I announce rather suddenly, my heart pounding in my bosom. I had not expected him to be that honest.  
"Goodnight." How painfully calm he is. He assumes I will not throw his confessions back to him or use them against him. He trusts me. I stand and walk to my bedroom, my legs as unsteady as pudding poured into my tall boots.

He does care about me. He must. He either cares for me or lusts after me enough to pretend to care for me. Had I wanted this? Part of me had. Most of me had. Oh, Jesus Christ. I had just escaped from a man with deceptive lust, and now I have come across another. This man must be different! A man of the church! I wrap my arms around my pillow, feeling for the gun hidden just beneath the pillowcase. I cross myself with the gun sacrilegiously clutched in my right hand and promptly fall asleep as the sun rises over the world.

I don't know what exactly causes me to remember the time spent at Castle Dracula, but I am determined to honor Velkan by the time my wet boots walk back over the threshold of my home. Van Helsing, who seems almost back to normal, notices my change in mood. "Anna?"  
"What?" I hand him his dinner, having scraped the last of our good food onto a plate for him.  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No. Tonight I will be hosting a vigil for my brother. I will be gone most of the night." I leave, my mind fighting itself to hold back my memories until I have brought my people to the church.

The only formal black outfit I can find is a dress that looks as though it was fashionable fifty years ago. Mounds of skirt tell me that hoops should have gone under the dress, but I do the best I can with about a dozen petticoats. It looks almost right, but I almost immediately regret wearing the dress as I walk to my dresser. It is difficult to move with so many layers of cloth, but I tie my hair back in a bun at the base of my neck and exit the room, determined to catch my villagers before they go to bed.  
Van Helsing, standing in the doorway of his room, asks, "Am I invited?"  
I pause at the top of the stairs and turn back to look at him. "You are not well."  
"Yes I am."  
"It would do us no good to exhaust you."  
"I want to go."

I grab my rosary as I pull a black shirt out for him to wear. After we put on our coats, he touches my arm. "Anna…If anything I said last night—"  
"There are candles in the drawer behind you." I gesture towards the entry way table. I don't wait to see his reaction to my interruption. I can't think about him right now. All I can see in my head is Velkan and the knife she thrust into him. Dracula's emotionless face. He didn't care. No one cares but me. They all expected us to die, my people. It isn't their fault. It's his fault.  
I knock quietly on every wooden door, asking if they can spare a moment in the church. Nodding heads and sad faces follow me into the shadows and snow. Rosaries in frozen, purple hands, candles clutched in numb fingers, fumbling in the darkness to be lit and guide mourners to they place where their sorrow can be presented in sincerity or deception. I stand before them, all peering up at me too frightened to raise their heads too high. I speak of Velkan and his zeal for the cause that lived within all of those who called themselves Valerious. He would have been our king. Soon I lose track of what comes out of my mouth. "He lived for us and died for us. May his memory live in the hope his sacrifice has given us. May we know that God has taken him to where he may live as a king. May we…"

I pause to keep myself from crying. I was always told never to cry in front of my subjects, and especially not my own children. "…think of him as an example of what we all aspire to be. I have never known any man or woman to live as passionately as Velkan lived. He was not without flaws, for he had many, but never more than any of us. I always envied his courage to avenge the deaths so few of us had the courage to even honor. He was just one more victim of the darkness we all run from. He never saw his people live the way he dreamed they could, and we must take it upon ourselves to create his dream in his name... for Velkan…"

The candle lights blur into a horizontal gash across the middle of the church. The light blinds me, and the nocturnal tears run down to my collar to escape it. The silence of my lost sentence weighs down upon me, the pressure suffocating me until a hand touches my shoulder. I waver, lost in the sea of guarded candles, but Van Helsing guides me away from them. I watch them leave after an unreal amount of time. Some of them sleep, pretending to pray, while others sit and pray with their rosaries. What am I going to do? Without Velkan I have no one. I have never lived alone before. I have always had someone who completely understood me, but now who do I have?  
"I have no idea what you said, but it sounded beautiful." Van Helsing takes my hands and lifts me up to a standing position. I pull my hand away and wipe my cheeks. "I'm going home."  
"May I walk with you?"

"Yes." My English sounds so poor after my Romanian in the church. I know I had asked a lot of my people to all meet in one place. We generally try to avoid doing so because it is easier for vampires to surprise us if no one is looking for them. He is being very polite. I must look ridiculous in such a big dress. I have to get home.  
"How do you feel?" His boots make a large imprint on the snow as we cross the village.  
"Something similar to the way you feel. You were obviously close to your brother."  
"All gypsies value their kin."  
I open the door. Having our home so close to the rest of the village is a necessary inconvenience. "If you were inquiring about my health, then I will admit I am anxious to be inside."

"I'll get you whiskey." God knows I could use a drink.

There is a rather inviting fireplace in the bar next to my kitchen. Van Helsing watches me as I light the old logs resting in the grate. Within a few minutes I am sitting in a large armchair in front of the fire with a bottle of strong liquor and a shot glass in my lap. I can hear the chink of glass behind me, so I can assume Van Helsing has his own drink as well.  
"That's stronger than absinthe."  
"Good."

I always drink after every funeral or vigil. Ever since my mother died when I was thirteen, I have sat in this chair and drunk. This wasn't a very healthy habit as a teenager, but having people die in my village every month is not healthy either. I pour myself a shot and throw my head back to consume it. The familiar sting of alcohol does not come, however. In an anxious spurt of energy, I fill my shot glass again and almost throw the liquid down my throat. A faint tingle in my nose worries me – drink this strong should affect me more.  
Van Helsing apparently does not care for women to drink. "Can I have a glass of that?" He lumbers over and reaches for the bottle. He is not fooling anyone.  
"No." I put the glass in his open palm, worried that I cannot even taste the liquor clutched in my hand.  
""I won't let you sit there and drink yourself stupid."  
"Why not?"  
"For one it will only make you more sad. Secondly you will probably behave irrationally and—"  
"I am not a child. I can make my own decisions." I snap, taking a swig straight out of the bottle. Finally, after my third gulp I began to feel warm and slightly aloof.

In response to his silence, I stare into the flames before me. Velkan always hated it when I drank. He said it made me an entirely different person. Velkan was very traditional in the sense that he despised women like my mother and me who talked back to their male relatives and who wore pants instead of dresses. I am glad he cannot see me now. What would he think of me? Dressed in a dress that was too small an inappropriate to wear, holding a bottle of alcohol the way a child holds a stuffed doll, allowing myself to exist as a vampire that cannot even taste hard liquor? Oh, God…

If my eyes had become shiny with drink, Van Helsing would not be able to tell because of the fresh tears that had begun to pour from my eyes. Ten minutes and a third of the bottle later, I begin to speak again. The room had become softer and his face blurrier. "And why should you give a damn about me anyway?" I jerk towards his spot on the armchair a few feet from mine. The drink swishes nosily in its bottle.  
"Who said I gave a damn about you?"

I scowl, putting my lips to the bottle again. "You know, you're right." I drink, then wipe my mouth on my black sleeve. "No one gives a damn about me anyway."  
"You don't know that."  
"Oh, yes I do. Now that I've done my goddamn job I'm supposed to go along with my business and none of them will care."  
His breathing is so measured. Why isn't he drinking more? He must not be able to hold his liquor. How womanly! "What exactly is your business?"  
"I'm supposed to do the thing all women do. I have to get married and have a passel of rotten, screaming children and smile and cook and clean. But God knows that won't ever happen."  
"Why not?"

I laugh, and somehow even my laughing sounds slurred. "No man would want me."  
"What makes you say that?"  
Why is he asking so many questions? After two more gulps, I answer. "You mean besides being unable to eat normal food, live in the daylight, and have children?" I snort. "I am hardly a suitable bride now that that son of a bitch Dracula's had his way with me."  
After realizing how coarse I sound, I clap my hand to my mouth and begin to cry again. I had surprised myself with my loose tongue so badly that I had begun to cry! Again! Curse my horrible mouth.  
"What would you do if you found a man that would tolerate all that?"

"Don't you understand?" I snap. "There is no man like that! All the men in my village are either scared of me or think I need to talk less and curtsy more!" I cry harder, realizing how condemned I truly am. Why did this happen to me? How could God let it happen to me?  
He stands and slowly pries the bottle out of my fingers. All I can do is watch him and sniff in a most unattractive manner. "Perhaps you could marry another vampire."  
Hearing that term spoken when applied to me hurts my ears. "Why the hell would I do that? Vampires are creatures of the devil that only satiate their own needs. How you can even think of that offends me."  
"My apologies." He sets the bottle on the floor and raises up to his full height above me. As he does so, he takes hold of my hands and pulls me into a standing position. I sway and have to grab his arms to stay upright. His muscles are very firm in my grasp. "But you must realize that no one is forcing you to stay here."

"I can't leave my people here. They need someone to protect them. They need a king. But I will never be able to find a man willing to marry the princess and become the king. I have failed them and I cannot do anything about it!" I blurt out.  
"There has to be at least one man that will not mind your supposed faults."  
"Everyone minds!" I cry, the tears drying and making my face feel swollen and cold.  
"I don't mind." He murmurs, looking down at me with his gentle hazel eyes. My own eyes close as he leans forward and kisses my forehead. My eyes stay closed after a few seconds of silence, but I find myself beginning to slur again. "How dare you!" I struggle to stay standing on my shaky feet. "You know it isn't proper to kiss a lady without being engaged to her."

He smiles. "And you know your behavior is nothing like the behavior of a lady."  
I smile too, but remember that I am supposed to be offended by his actions. His lips must be so soft. I wonder how they would feel kissing my lips instead of my forehead….I scowl and push away, nearly falling over. "May I help you up the stairs?" He asks as I stumble towards the staircase.

"No." After what seems like hours. I manage to get up to my bedroom, where I crash onto my bed in a nauseous stupor. He had just kissed me. Not on the lips, or even the cheek, but he had kissed me. The righteous side of me points out that he had taken advantage of my liquored state, but another part of me knows he would have done it even if I was perfectly sober. A steady beat begin to pound just inside my right temple and I struggle to pull the blankets over me. I cannot think too deeply into this now. I let my sluggish mind drift away into the quiet darkness, hoping that my hangover the next morning will not be as severe as I predict it will be…

* * *

Oh, man I hope they get more kissing in. But post-consensual rape Anna seems like quite a handful...

REVIEW!


	15. The Fete

**Author's Note:**

Arwen17evenstar: It wasn't the ending! But I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much! Thank you to all my reviewers!

Well, to step away from the sadness, we can now enter into the beginning of the BRIGHTER Side of Death. Yay! Can I get a woo woo?

* * *

"Anna?"  
I groan deep in my throat, furrowing my eyebrows. Is the pain in my head speaking to me?  
"Anna…if you sit up you can drink your supper."

"What?" I mumble. "No, go away." Does he have to speak so loudly?  
"I don't understand Romanian, Anna. Just let me help you sit up."  
Murmuring protests the entire time, Van Helsing pulls me up and leans me back against the headboard of my bed. I feel as though I have been run over by a four-horse carriage. Moving was a mistake because now I feel as though I will vomit.

"Here." I hear his coat rustle as he bends away from me, then back towards me. He takes my hand and wraps my fingers around the handle of a mug. Immediately recognizing the smell, I drink all of the blood in one breath, though do I technically need to breathe? Several things become known to me when I open my eyes. First of all, Van Helsing is in my room – a severe social blunder on his part. Secondly, I probably look like a vagabond, considering that I am still in last nights dress and I have not combed my hair or even washed my face – a mild social problem on my part. Lastly, Van Helsing brought me dinner, which means he went into the woods, killed an animal, caught its blood as it died, and then walked all the way back here to bring it to me – something I find very thoughtful no matter how vulgar.

I gather the blankets up in my hands and pull them up to my neck, dropping the mug. "Please do not enter my bedroom without my express permission." My mouth spews out quickly, repeating what my mother told me to say to any man who tries to go into my room.  
Van Helsing blinks. "May I enter your bedroom?"  
I frown in confusion. "You may leave my bedroom…"

He gives me a smirk. "You're welcome." He grabs the cup off my blankets and exits. Thank God he had not protested. He is a gentleman, so I had not expected him to argue. Though, considering the manners of the man I had spent so much time with lately, I had forgotten normal men respect the wishes of women.  
As I change into my normal clothes, I realize just how uncouth my normal attire is. If I had worn unshapely dresses or matronly frocks all the time then _he_ would have not wanted to marry me at all. If I had never worn rouge upon my lips, maybe none of _this_ would have happened to me. I almost do put on an unflattering skirt, but decide against it. No man around here would dare try to take advantage of me. And even if he did, I would shove my boot into his groin and watch as he curls up into the fetal position. Actually, if I kicked a man there now, I might break his hip bones. I don't know how much stronger I am as this demon, so perhaps I should refrain from physical reprimands.

As soon as I see Van Helsing again out in the kitchen, I remember the intense feeling of embarrassment from the night before. What had I said to him? Of all the shameful things that have happened to me in my life, what could I have told him after so much alcohol? It must not have frightened him very much, because a wide grin spreads across his face when he sees me. "Should I apologize for my intrusion?"  
"I think you should, but I do not require it." I smile back. I cannot help it. He spent so much time in pensive silence when we first met that I am beginning to believe his smiles are rare and an occurrence to be cherished.

"I want to tell you something."  
If he confesses a deep, heartfelt love for me, I just might have to knock the wind out of him. I am quite through with men who claim to love me. Oh, God. How my mother would scold me if she knew this is my first thought when a man wants to inform me of something! "What is it?"  
"That I acknowledge that you have lived a difficult life. A life more difficult than anyone I've ever met. That does not mean, however, you have no right to happiness. And I know you did not ask for my opinion, but perhaps you should think about what you want to do instead of what other people want you to do. Now, that being said," He hands me my coat, which I had not noticed him holding. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would follow me."

Touched by his small speech, I stammer. "Where are you going?"  
"There is a building not far from here that I would normally call a bar, but….well, it seems like almost everyone in town is there, for some reason."  
"What reason?" I do not even notice that I have put on my coat and followed him outside until the icy air hits my face. He had gone out the door with such rapidity that I had not even hesitated in walking after him. Does that mean my subconscious trusts him?  
"Probably because I told them you wished them to congregate there."  
"Why did you do that?"  
"I told them you have a very important announcement to make."  
"Stop being so ambiguous and tell me what is going on!" I almost laugh at his vague teasing.  
"Now, now, Princess, stay calm. Do you think of anything you might wish to share with your own people? Any news you can think of to report?"

As comprehension dawns on me, I stop in my tracks. A few paces ahead of me, he turns back to look at me, looking quite dashing in his hat and coat. A slow smile suddenly spreads over my lips and I dart forward, running towards the door with excitement. Oh, God, how long have I waited to tell the gypsies what I am to tell them now!  
I fling the door open, almost throwing it off its hinges and into the dark snow in my anxious happiness. Every face in the room turns to greet mine with weary glances and cold scowls. They seem startled by the look of pure elation that I return their greetings with. "Ladies and gentleman," I begin in Romanian, walking forward a few steps. "It is with great joy and honor that I inform you that Count Vladislaus Dracula is…dead."

I watch their minds process this delicate information. The princess would not joke about a subject so serious, and nor could she kid with such a silly grin. So, it must be true! A roar of sound smashes into my ears only an instant before weeping mothers and ecstatic children jump on top of me. The men kiss their wives and sweethearts, remembering somehow in their jubilation that it would be inappropriate to hug the unmarried princess.  
For a moment it seems unlikely that any celebrating will begin because so many tears of happiness are being shed, but, unable to forget the ancient gypsy customs of dance and drink, a fiddle begins to play somewhere, giving everyone the signal to begin dancing. I help shove tables against the wall, and instantly my gypsy feet begin to itch with the desire to dance. I start maneuvering towards the middle of the room and grab some bearded man to dance with, but my eyes are drawn back to the entrance of the bar where Van Helsing is leaning in the doorway, watching us with a contented smile.

I stop by the bar on my way back to him to get him a drink. Though the bartender has started giving out bottles of liquor in sheer elation, it takes me a good minute or so to grab one. "You know, if I had drunk as much as you did last night I would not be able to tolerate so much noise." He declines the wooden mug I offer him, but his grin tells me he is comfortable without a drink.  
"I suppose a strong headache cannot withstand this much happiness. Thank you."  
"I do not wish to stay if your people are so violently opposed to me. I think I will go back to—"  
"No, you must stay!" I cry, placing the mug on a table and pulling his arm. "You are the reason we can celebrate, Mr. Van Helsing." If only they knew how much we have to thank him for!  
"I want you and your family to take all the credit for this." He lets me pull him inside, despite his words that seem against remaining here any longer.

"Please stay. You deserve just as much of a good time as I do." Probably a better time than I do.  
"If you insist." He sits down at the chair furthest from the dancing couples. "Now please go comfort that woman near the fireplace. If she cries any harder she will fall out of her seat."  
Without so much as an inquisitive glance, I scurry over. "Mary! Mary, please!" I wrap my arm around her. "You must stop crying right now! You're scaring the children!" I lie. All the children are dancing or watching the dancing while holding onto their mothers' legs.  
"I'm so sorry, my Anna, to ruin this special day. I cannot stop! I know your mother and father are so proud of you!"

Mary was very close to my parents, especially my mother. Mary, despite having thick grey hair, being about five feet tall, and not being able to move very fast, can sound more like a drill sergeant than I can. She practically raised Velkan and me, seeing as my parents were usually involved in schemes too dangerous for small children. After my mother passed away, she became the most influential person in my life, no matter how hard my father tried to be my only parent. I love Mary, and while seeing her distressed is no unusual occurrence, it is always troubling.  
"Put your rosary away, Mary. You can pray later. Now I want you to have a drink and dance with this strapping young man." I reach out and grab the back of a shirt passing by. The owner, a boy no more than twenty, stumbles backward. I stand and ask him whether or not he wants to dance with Mary, giving him a stern look all the while. He nods, in such a good mood that he would probably run naked down the road if I asked him to.

Then some excited hands draw me to the middle of the hall. Though all gypsies are excellent dancers, great pains were taken to make me one of the best throughout my childhood and adolescence. Given the fact that none of us have danced in years (having, of course, no reason to dance), I would guess that by the standards of the gypsies outside of Transylvania, we are all fairly poor dancers.  
Though all we have to move to is a fiddle that appears to never have been tuned, we make do with accompaniments of singing voices, stomping feet, and clapping hands. It should also be noted that we have had no reason to sing as well, making our singing almost as poor as our dancing. Despite these critical drawbacks, the celebratory shouting and drinking does not seem to be hindered.

I dance and dance, alone and with a partner, until my legs begin to ache. When I pause, panting slightly, between songs to catch my breath, I can feel my beast awaken. It had been so completely obliterated by Dracula's death that I had almost forgotten that it had once lived inside me. It was still weak and paralyzed, unable to control me or even give me thoughts. I could feel it peering out at the creatures around me, without even the energy to be frustrated with its inability to do anything.

The beast observed that this scene was beautiful. These people, full of passion and life, are gorgeous. Even the oldest and most ugly have blood flushing their cheeks, revealing just a ghost of their past youth. Their hearts pumped quickly, quicker even than their jumping feet. The beast courts the idea of touching these people, running its fingers over the points where their heartbeats can be felt. A gentle caress of the throat or wrist, just to understand the hypnotic life within them.

Suddenly, the demon retreats, and I feel hollow and ill. The bodies bump into me, some grabbing at my hands to try and make me move. "Princess Anna!" they call. "Princess, you must know of this song!"  
I walk past them and out of the bar. My regular state of mind has returned without conscious recognition, but I still feel odd. I place my hands on my hips and kick at the grey snow. Somehow I know the beast has resigned itself into a metaphysical coma for quite a long time. It was the last jolt of life before it died completely. Had I really killed that demon? I hope to God I had.  
"Done with the spotlight already?"  
"What spotlight?"  
"Don't pretend to be ignorant. You are a rather poor liar."  
I turn around to glare at him. "If they had asked you to dance with them, what would you have done?"  
"Told them I can't dance." Van Helsing's grin is whiter than the snow.

"You would disappoint them." I smirk.  
He shrugs and looks up at the sky, adjusting the hat on his head. "Yes well. Considering the fact that not a single person can muster up the courage to speak with the foreigner Van Helsing makes me think I already disappoint them."  
I laugh. "You do not disappoint, Mr. Van Helsing. You intimidate."  
"Sitting and drinking at a table is intimidating?"  
"When you sit with your hat and coat on it is. You sit in a most confrontational manner." I know this to be true, as every time I looked over at him while I was dancing, he was hunched over his drink, barely letting his eyes be seen from under the shade of his hat. "They aren't going to kill you this time." I pat his upper arm as I walk back into the hall.

Now why had he come out after me? He said before that he could "sense" evil. Though I find this hard to believe, Dracula had said that Van Helsing had killed him the first time he died. Assuming Dracula spoke with truth, then perhaps I should believe Van Helsing's claim. Had he sensed the evil stirring inside me again? Does he sense my unnaturalness now? Just existing as a vampire is evil. Therefore, do I assume he can sense me the way I can sense heartbeats in living animals?  
Putting those thoughts out of my head, I dance some more. The enthusiasm in the air must be infectious, because after another hour or two I feel my face begin to ache as though the muscles used for smiling are weak from lack of use. The next time I sit down it is because Mary and her elderly friends have called me over. They sit me down and smile at me, their ruddy faces shining with perspiration. "My Anna, we have to talk about something."

"Oh, Mary, can't it wait?"  
"No, no, no, we must talk now! I thought you knew better than to do something like this!"  
"What?" Had she heard Van Helsing is living at Vaseria? Are we to be chaperoned? It isn't as though we are sharing a bedroom!  
"It is shameful for any girl to wear trousers, my Anna, but I have let this pass as it would be dangerous for you to run around in skirts. But never under any circumstances is it appropriate to wear pants to a dance!" She thunders, her face blushing with passion. Mary is very concerned with social customs, which is probably why I am so socially conscious myself.  
"You know this was not a planned event!"  
"Yes, but you should know better. I fully expect to see you in garments more fitting for this occasion tomorrow and the next day and for however long these festivities will last. In fact, now that you have killed the son of the devil…" She crosses herself, and, seeing this, all the other matrons do the same. "you have no reason to wear those vulgar trousers any longer!"

I slap a false smile onto my face. "You are completely right, Mary."  
The ladies beam, wishing they, like Mary, could instruct their Princess on how to behave and what garments to wear. "I must go, Mary, but I want you to go home soon, alright? Within the hour."  
"Very well, my Anna, very well." She shoos me away to gossip in Romanian about the saucy girls that work in Mary's tailoring shop. I, of course, have no intention of changing my apparel tomorrow evening, but appeasing Mary is much better than having her after you. Mary sends me on guilt trips that seem to last months, if not years.  
I retreat to the dance floor in time to see Van Helsing chatting with a girl that looks a few years younger than me. She seems somewhat uncomfortable, despite his devastatingly charming smile. Oh well. Over the next five or six dances, the condition of the celebrators deteriorates. The drink is settling over my gypsies, and the fiddler sounds as though he cannot remember how to play. Perhaps it is time to end the festivities for the night. I take the fiddle out of the hands of the giggling musician and tell him to take a break. He wastes no time in falling asleep right on the floor. I put a couple more logs onto the fire to keep them all from freezing to death, pick up my coat, and sit down at Van Helsing's table.

"Did you finally get some company?"  
"Some." He leans back in his chair.  
"Were they rude?"  
"No. Though most of them had the sense of a plank of wood."  
"Are you assuming that all of my people are senseless?"  
"I will take the drinking and dancing into consideration before I determine the collective intelligence of these gypsies."  
I smile. He must be teasing me. Or is he? "Are you going to walk me home?"  
"Would you like me to walk you home?"

I shrug, standing and slipping on my jacket. "I do not know what you would do now if not return home."  
He stands as well, and I can truly appreciate the five or so inches that make him taller than me. Short men are always so aggressive and bitter. "As you wish, milady." His sardonic smile dissolves into an honest grin.  
I bathe before retiring to my bedroom after we walk back to the house. I wrap myself in a flannel nightgown and stare up into the darkness before my thoughts are stolen by the dawn. In those brief moments, I wonder what would have happened if I had fallen asleep in the bathtub. Would he have fished me out of the dirty bath water? Would he have left me there to wake up naked and freezing the next evening? What a dilemma that would have been on his part. I would have been furious either way.

I stand in front of my dresser the next evening, after feeding in the woods, contemplating just how much to appease Mary. I lift the traditional gypsy festival skirts out of my bottom drawer, having to use both hands to hold all the yards of fabric. I deem this simply too much, especially since the party I will be attending shortly is not even an ancient gypsy tradition.  
A soft knock sounds at the door. "Yes?"  
"Will I be able to get something to eat if I return to the carousing?"  
Carousing? "I assume so."  
"Are you going to return tonight?"  
"Once I am dressed." I blush a bright pink once I realize that I have just implied that I am not dressed. Does he think I am talking to him without any clothes on?

He laughs. "Excuse my interruption." I wait until his heavy footsteps walk all the way down the stairs before I move again.  
In an effort to prove to myself that I am dressed, I change clothes as fast as I can. I throw on the white embroidered blouse that matches the traditional skirt, but buckle my bodice over it. I even put on gold jewelry and some rouge. I hope the rouge does not make me look as red-faced as the elderly women of the town. Mary would think it very immodest to wear a shirt that reveals most of my neck and shoulders, but my hair and the necklaces should soothe her.  
After completing my ensemble with red rouge for my lips and neatly combed hair, I descend the stairs, eager to see how the celebration has evolved during the hours of the day. My necklaces clank against the buckles of my corset, announcing my arrival to Van Helsing, who stands in the entryway holding my coat. "I thought you had left."

He does not respond, though I do notice him staring at my shirt. "You look nice."  
"Thank you." Acknowledging, accepting, and being courteous about a compliment feels strange, given that I have not done so in quite a long time. "Have you been waiting for me?"  
"Like a true gentleman. Shall we?" He opens the door and we walk out into the snow.  
Back at the bar, the party has picked up considerably from when I left earlier. Drinking through their headaches, the dancers have been joined by more beer, platters of deserts, and girls in the attire I know Mary wishes to see me in. Subtle changes such as these can be noticed all throughout the evening. The matrons only stay for a few hours, yawning loudly and scolding the young coquettes before leaving for home hours before midnight. The skirts of the twirling girls, which are pulled up to show off impressive footwork, are being pulled perhaps a little too high, especially after said departure of the matrons. The music, with one or two new instruments, becomes steadily faster and less polished. If some poor stranger wandered into town, he would think he had discovered the last uncivilized part of Europe.

I dance and laugh, not caring that I am the only woman wearing trousers. However, the subject of my clothing does come up. A little girl in braids catches me in between dances and drags me over to Mary, who is in the process of leaving to go home. As we walk to the door, she begins ranting in Romanian: "Your poor mother is writhing in her grave every time you dance in such improper attire! She told me herself to make you the clothes traditional to our people and I did! And this is how you thank me! My Anna, you break my heart! If I don't see you—"  
"I'm wearing the right blouse!"  
"THAT is not enough!" She shouts. "I want you in the outfit I made for you tomorrow evening or there will be a price to pay!" She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, and this gesture transforms her frown into a sweet smile. "Now, goodnight my Anna. You're too pretty to wear men's garments."

So it is settled. Unlike most old women, Mary's bite is as bad, or even worse, than her bark. I want nothing to do with a 'price to pay' and I resolve to wear the appropriate costume tomorrow night. By the time I turn back to the dancing area, the song is half over. I sit down at the table Van Helsing and a young lady are sitting at. He has apparently taken my advice, seeing as his hat is on the table in front of him and his coat is draped over the back of his chair. The girl, drinking out of a mug but keeping her eyes of Van Helsing, informs me in Romanian: "Princess Anna, I had no idea your friend is so charming! And handsome too!"  
I raise an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should tell him so."  
"He doesn't understand me." She frowns.

I smile, then tell Van Helsing in English, "This poor girl wishes she could whisper sweet nothings to you. Should I tell her to leave you in peace?"  
He just shrugs and drinks out of his mug, watching the dancers. She is attractive enough to sit at his table, but not attractive enough to try to talk too.  
I look back at her. "Go tell all your friends to stop staring and come talk to Mr. Van Helsing. He is a trustworthy man. Without him Dracula would not be dead. Go. Go tell everyone that. Go!" I shoo her away.  
Van Helsing looks at me with a slight frown. "What did you tell her?"  
I grin. "You can thank me later." I stand up and meander back to the dance floor.  
Throughout the night I notice that Van Helsing is quite popular, among both men and women. He is rougher and braver than any man from this village, and good-looking, making him universally appealing. I can only hope the broken English of my people does not agitate him. When I glance in his direction every so often he appears to be talking and laughing with one or two people.

The stamina of the party goers this evening is heartier than the previous evening, but still not infinite. I have to walk briskly home and run up the stairs in order to be in bed by the time the sun rises. Luckily I have time to hang up my blouse to prevent it from wrinkling before the death-like sleep steals my conscious.  
The next evening, I take great pains to look like a real gypsy. After I feed, I wash my face carefully, and dress. The skirt is long, almost dragging on the floor, and contains stitching of every color. It is primarily red, but yellow, blue, and purple are also prominent. Normally gypsies dance barefoot, but it is simply too cold for that. After attaching the appropriate gold chains to my ankles, I slip on flat little dancing slippers. Gold rings, bracelets, necklaces, and a matching hair combs are placed on my person before I exit my bedroom. I feel uncomfortable not wearing a corset of any kind, but I do feel excited to dance in a full skirt again.

Van Helsing, who I find courteously waiting again at the bottom of the stairs, does not try to ignore my attire. "Who made you wear that?"  
I blush. Does he think I look stupid? "The traditional gypsies requested that I look like a gypsy princess."  
"I don't know what they had to do to get you in that….but it was worth it."  
Was that a compliment? I believe it was…"Thank you."  
Before I can open the door, he offers me his arm. Maybe he is more of a gentleman than he pretends to be! When we reach the bar again, my arrival is greeted by the celebrators much the same as Van Helsing's response. Loud whoops and whistles carry me out to the dance floor, and I agree to begin the next dance with a blushing pink face.  
I can sense throughout the evening that this will be the last day of revel. Skirts and blouses are pulled as tight as possible. Giggling and drinking can be heard in all corners of the room. The music becomes sillier and faster as the hours wear on. The girls, especially the unmarried ones, throw an extra sway in their hips, taking advantage of the fact that no one over thirty-five is in attendance.

Van Helsing's popularity must have been greater last night than I had understood because when I look at him after a particularly risqué dance, he is being kissed on the cheek by a flushed girl in brown! He collects kisses almost the entire night, and I find myself with quite embarrassing feelings about the concept of air-headed adolescents daring to peck a kiss upon his face. I wonder how he feels about their audacious affection.  
Twirling my skirts to their full length, I spin around with the other young dancers. How much I have missed dancing like this. It warms my heart to see people I have never once seen smile with such happiness expressed on their faces. Van Helsing must feel something similar, or simply excited by so many young lips kissing his cheeks, because he soon comes lumbering up to me. "Come now, Anna, teach me to dance. I am not so unskilled in this fine art!"

Surprised, I smile. "So I shall!" I instruct the trio making our unorthodox music to play only partner dances and grab Van Helsing's hand.  
He did not lie when he said he was not unskilled. He picked up on the correct steps quicker than I expected. Soon he can whirl me around the bar just as well as any of the other gypsy men. After stepping on my feet only twice, he can even look up and around at the people instead of at his own boots. "You learn quickly, Van Helsing."  
"Gabriel." He reminds me. "And I did have quite an exceptional instructor. You do realize you are the best dancer here, don't you? I did not ask you to teach me just because you look so pretty."

I turn bright pink. "You are too kind." I tell him with veracity. I cannot be the best dancer here!  
He just laughs. How odd he is! He can be so introverted and calm, and then so passionate and exciting.  
I dance a dozen more songs, with and without Van Helsing, before the energy of the festivities expires completely. The dance has broken down into kissing couples, drunken, slurring singers, and dozing girls sleeping on top of wooden tables. I twirl around alone on the dance floor before departing, spinning as fast as I can just to see how high I can force my skirts to fly up. Unfortunately, I can spin rather quick, and Van Helsing later thanks me for 'the show.' Perhaps I am a better dancer than I give myself credit for.

We walk home with an unhurried gait. "So all it takes is a beer and a few good kisses to bring you out of your shyness."  
He chuckles. "I suppose so. Though the atmosphere tonight made everyone act mildly inappropriate."  
I laugh. "Well, you certainly allowed every woman in town be quite friendly. How many friends did you make? Did you lose count?"  
"I must have. Although, there was a young lady there that I wish had expressed her gratitude." Does he really admire someone he saw tonight?  
"If you want a kiss, Van Helsing, then you should go ask her for one. If you were to receive one from any girl in town, tonight would be the night."  
"Should I? She would think it too forward of me."  
"Every person in this village has a reason to appease you. She could not refuse." I draw my coat closer to me as we come to stand on the wide doorstep to Vaseria, assuming he will open the door to allow me entrance.

"Then I will take your advice." He grins at me, and I smile back, amused at his twinkling eyes.  
His hands pull me close to him before realization hits me. He had been speaking of me! With his arms around me, he leans close and presses a soft kiss against my lips. An excited sensation sweeps up my stomach, making me feel as though I am falling down into the earth. How gentle he is for being such a strong man! I can feel the hard muscles of his chest and arms pressed against me, and my heart beats just below his with thrilled rapidity.  
He releases me, running his hands over my arms as he draws them back to his sides. "You were right. She could not refuse." His breath puffs out into the icy night in white clouds. "Goodnight, Anna."

* * *

Oh dear. Men are just throwing themselves at Anna. First Drac, and now this? I don't think Anna can handle this. GO REVIEW PLEASE! 


	16. The Olio

**Author's Note**

Shoysrock, MentalXPyromaniacXVampress: I brought Dracula back for the sake of this story, and you want me to bring him back again? Are you joking? That would be ridiculous! After all this build up and drama, none of the characters could take it!

redjegger: No, it isn't going to be mindless. It rather hurts me that you expect 'mindless' writing, but I try to avoid that at all costs.

Arwen17evenstar: Anna would never throw Dracula on the bed without the beast's interverence. That's just how she is. The Anna/Dracula pairing is one of the most fun to play with, but it is not realistic by any means. This is my interpretation of Anna, and I believe it to be the correct one.

Anon E. Mouse: Thank you very much! I appreciate such a thorough review. You don't have to spoil me with individual reviews, but I'm not going to say it wouldn't be a pleasant indulgence. :D

vampireprincess1606: That really made my day. Some of my reviewers get me down sometimes, but yours really brought me up. And for that, I thank you.

vamplady101 and ForeverACharmedOne: Can there be reviews more simple and wonderful than yours? Many thanks, to be sure.

I know this chapter is kind of sporatic and bipolar, but stay with me. Things pick up after this, I promise. Like I said before, I don't know where this is going or where it is going to end. So. You have all been good to me through my strange writing, and I hope you will stay that way.

I'm going on a trip for a while, so no updates until August. Happy reading!

* * *

I change and crawl into bed in a daze. Yes, obviously I had been kissed before, but some indefinable quality extricated this kiss from the blur of past kisses in my life. Before I can even begin to contemplate what the specific quality could be, I slip into the deathly sleep that always overwhelms me at sunrise. 

I roll over onto my side, tugging the blankets up towards my neck. The sound of a deep chuckle sends me into a convulsive jolt of hysteria. Shoving my hand under my pillow, I grope around for the gun that rests their night after night, but find myself grabbing only at cloth. Where is it? IT is always here! I fling myself upright and almost pass out from shock to see Count Vladislaus Dracula sitting on the end of my bed. Oh Holy Mother of God.

He rises, smirking and holding a deck of cards in one hand. His bitterness is so evident in his body language that I almost expect him to pinch me and inform me that I have been a naughty girl. "Well done, Anna."  
My complete and utter astonishment prevents me from responding. "You poor, poor girl. You will suffer without me and you do not even know it." He paces the length of my bed, and I can hear his long fingernails skimming the edges of the cards. "Very, very well done. Yes. Now that I am with my dear father there will be no one to take care of you. Yes, you need taking care of. You have always had someone to watch after you and now I suppose you have no one."

Still unable to speak, I remain under the blankets, perspiring slightly. Good God, what is he going to do? "Anna, you will never get the guidance you need. And it disappoints me that the last of my line will be such a weak, pathetic creature." He sighs. "Every time you experience hardship you blame me, of that I am sure, but soon you will wish you had not destroyed me. You will be confused and depressed and you will ultimately realize that you are to blame. And I suppose you will be able to blame Gabriel as well."

A sly grin spreads across his face, but instead of looking amused, he looks as though he wants to scream. "I suppose by now Gabriel is madly in love with you. We always did have similar tastes in women. And mark my words: if he wants you he'll find a way to make you love him too. You are required to marry him, are you not?"

Horrified, I wait for him to answer his own question with my silence, but he barks "What is wrong with you? Usually when I speak you have complaints and objections and other such nonsense. Is there a law that states that you are to be given to the man that kills me?"  
I nod. He laughs. "Gabriel's vampire wife. The archangel Gabriel marrying the fledgling of Dracula. This sounds like a poorly written play. I wonder if he will mind that you are not a virgin bride. That privilege was used most happily by your first husband."

An incensed blush bursts in my cheeks and I open my mouth to berate his uncivil tongue and general crudeness, but his quick words silence me. "Yes, yes, you hate me, I am vulgar, I know. It is a shame our marriage did not work. We could have been most successful partners." He flips the deck of cards over so that he can see the front of the cards. "My advice to you is to listen to your instincts. You won't like what they have to say, but listening will make you stronger. And for God's sake, resist Gabriel's advances. Though you claim it is difficult." He pulls two cards from the deck and places them on the blanket next to my feet. "It is really quite easy to seduce you."

The explosion of a bullet splintering wood jerks me awake and my hand squeezes the gun in strange spasmodic grasps. Oh Jesus Christ. That had been a dream. I hear running footsteps outside my room, and I untangle myself from my twisted bed sheets just in time to see a boot kick its way through my door. Van Helsing's gas-powered crossbow points its way around my room, and Van Helsing stares at me with bewildered eyes. "What happened?"

I look over at my nightstand. A neat bullet hole allows me to see straight through it, and the entire piece of furniture looks as though it might collapse. I glance over Van Helsing, who, realizing that there is no immediate threat, has lowered his weapon, and over my bed. My heart begins to race as I see two playing cards resting on the blanket. The king of spades and the queen of hearts, though normally just two of fifty-two playing cards, now indicate that Count Dracula has really been in my bedroom and not simply in my sadistic dreams.

"He's here!" I fling the blankets off of me and jump out of bed, cocking the gun again. The second time I've worn a nightgown to sleep in a decade and now I have to run around in front of a stranger in it. Just my luck it happens to be the night Dracula comes back from the dead. Again. This is ridiculous! When is Satan going to realize that Dracula cannot be successful, no matter how many chances he is given?

"Who? Anna, who?" Van Helsing, following me with his crossbow raised, seems to have absorbed my tense nervousness.  
"Dracula." I dash down the hall, shoving doors open as I run.  
"No, he isn't!"  
"Don't argue with me!" I snarl. My nightgown flaps around my ankles, and I wish I had had the sense to wear a pair of Velkan's old night pants, at least!  
"Wait, think about this." He grabs my arm and forces me to stop crashing on down the hallway.

"Let me go! He is here! He's going to kill us you damned fool!"  
"If he was here, I would sense him. You would sense him. Can't you tell he isn't here? I know he is not here, Anna. Just think." Judging his obvious sincerity with his newfound calm, I pause for a moment. He was right. At Castle Dracula, I would know, somehow, whether or not Dracula was in the room. Even if I no one informed me of his presence, I could simply tell which area of the Castle to avoid. At this present moment, all I feel is hungry. Van Helsing's heartbeat, his scent, the scent of the gunpowder in my pistol, the cold air pressing against my face…all of these things I could feel, but not Dracula.

"That is impossible. I saw him. And the cards…he was in my room!" I blush, angry and embarrassed that I let myself be so easily swayed by a nightmare.  
"It is not unheard of for vampires to send dreams."  
"I know that!" I lie, brushing past him and trotting down to my room to dress.

Walking back to my room after feeding in the woods brings me to my senses. The mortifying events earlier this evening have made me contemplate just where I stand with Mr. Van Helsing. I have determined that he is hiding his intentions with a veil, and I fully intend to rip it off and throw his plans into plain view. Just what does he want from me? He kissed me last night and at Dracula's castle. He told me he would not mind marrying a vampire, even if she had been tainted by a previous encounter with the male gender. He said I am beautiful…  
I kick a small pile of snow. So had Dracula. How could I have thought him charming or sincere? Men are all alike. They will say anything and do anything to get what they want. God knows they don't think with their brain. I shall not tolerate his affections any longer. He must go back to the Vatican and report our success as soon as possible.

After I have hung my coat upon the rack inside, Van Helsing appears. "Do you have any scissors?"  
"Why do you need scissors?" I ask, pulling off my scarf. I had subdued myself long enough to dress appropriately before running out into the night.  
"My wounds have healed. I can get rid of these bandages now."  
"You don't cut the bandages! You save them. They can be washed."  
"Well, I cannot get them off." He gestures to his torso. "I don't know what kind of knot you used, but it is impossible to undo."  
I sigh at his incompetence. "Then I will help you."

I ask him to move into the kitchen, where I will be able to see better in the light. However, I do not need any light to see now. Though, if someone walked through the door, I would not want them to see me with my hands on some man's chest in the entry way of my own home. In the kitchen, he undoes his vest, and I find myself blushing. I would make a horrible nurse.  
If he notices, he does not comment. As his shirt slips over his head, I see the muscles in his back move. A wisp of the sensation I had felt the previous night skates over my middle, making me blush even harder.

My hands look so pale compared to his chest. I want to run my fingers over his abdomen just to feel the hardness there I had felt pressed against me when we had kissed. So far my attempts to avoid Van Helsing were failing dismally. I undo the knots, amazed that he does not have any scars. I manage to keep a measured look upon my face, concentrating only on the cloth bandages, not his impeccable chest or his face. "No man heals this quickly or without something to show for his battles."  
'I am no ordinary man." He pauses, a small smile jerking up the corners of his mouth. "Should you not have asked me if I was ticklish?"

"I have faith in your self control." I pull the last bandage away from his stomach.  
He makes an odd noise in his throat, but does not hesitate in putting his clothes on again. I help him untie the strip of cloth at his wrist. A thin white scar lingers there, a permanent reminder of his mistake. I run a finger over his scar, knowing that without it I would not be here. "You should not have done this."  
"Why not?"  
"I should have died that night."  
"According to whom?"

I stare at him, annoyed that he cannot be a man of God just for a moment. "The Lord."  
"Dracula told me I am God's left hand. He can take my memory, but he cannot take you."  
"You cannot control who God chooses to be with him."  
"I cannot? Then why are you here? Blood alone should not have saved you. Did you ever consider that?"

"Claiming you can stop death is to claim to be God."  
"I asked God to spare you and he did." He murmurs. "And for that I believe he does not condemn you. God does not forsake those who are faithful to him."  
I feel my face begin to ache as though I will begin to cry. "Why? Why did you ask him? I never wanted to live like this."

"I know Anna." He steps closer. "But you never wanted to leave this place either." His lips graze my cheek, and I shove him back.  
"Don't touch me!" I swallow the lump in my throat and watch my vision begin to blur with angry tears.  
He appears to be extremely offended by my exclamation and has to search for words for several seconds. "I apologize."  
I glare at him, blinking furiously to get rid of the premature tears, and leave the room. I walk all the way up to the tower and sit down in a stiff chair. If he has any sense at all he will stay away from me. He seems intelligent. Though God knows what he is thinking now.

I am through with men. None of them care about what a woman has to say, or what she thinks, or what she wants. I grab old pieces of parchment and ancient, rotting documents in order to record all of what has happened since charming Mr. Van Helsing arrived in Transylvania. I write a long account of how Dracula was killed, never noting that Velkan was killed as a werewolf, I became a vampire, and that Dracula wanted anything more than to see me dead.

There are so many papers to update that I remain sitting up in the tower for at least three hours. I had no idea there would be so much to write. Some of these records have not been updated since my grandparents were children. Soon I find myself peering out of the slender windows. Snowflakes float lazily down into the chilled air and I long to breathe it in. This time of year had always enchanted me as a child. Playing in the clean snow all day and drinking hot drinks by the fire at night. Once my father had hurt his back while out on his quests to destroy Dracula and had to stay on his stomach nearly all winter. He read me stories every night. I wonder if he would be as happy with me now as I was with him as a child.

My fingers hesitate over the yards of paper that we titled a family tree. My mother's birth and death date, scratched in the jagged letters of my distraught father years and years ago, seem ugly and wrong. She had been only thirty-seven. In my mind that is old, but she had been so young and pretty and energetic. Realizing I do not know what day it is, I push the papers away from me and recline back in the chair. After a few minutes of meditation, someone knocks at the door. "Come in."

Van Helsing enters slowly, shutting the door behind him. "Do you know what day it is?"  
"No."  
I look up at him from my seat. "What do you require?" My tone is agitated, but my manners insist that they are needed for the man who finally murdered Dracula.  
"You have been writing?"  
"Yes." My curt response makes it clear he had expected me to say more.  
"I wanted to ask you if you would like to go for a walk."  
"In the snow?"  
"If the flakes of snow bother you I will be glad to lend you my hat." He smiles.  
I glance out the window again. I do want to see the snow and the lights glowing in the houses, but if he tries to do anything that could be construed as ungentlemanly then I might have to harm him. "Fine."

"The snow is even more beautiful in the light of the candles than I had remembered. It feels odd to appreciate an occurrence so ordinary, but the last time I had done so must have been when I had only one digit in my age. "When do you intend to go back to the Vatican?"  
"Going back is much more difficult that leaving."  
"Why is that?"  
"It is difficult to explain." He answers after a pause.

"You are intelligent enough to explain it."  
"Yes, but I do not think you will understand. You are quite sure of your purpose in life."  
"Not anymore." I reply tersely.  
"When I first went to the Vatican they created my story on what they thought to be true. One thing I cannot help but wonder is whether or not I am to believe their story."  
"What is their story?"  
He does not respond for several minutes. When I look over at him, I find he is looking at me as well. Judging that I am trustworthy, he begins, "The men of the Knights of the Holy Order told me they found me almost dead on the steps of the church. When they discovered I had no memory of my past, they blamed me for a sinful past. God had taken my memory, they said, and the only way I am to recover it is to do God's work."

"But you know your stance with God. You are his left hand."  
"Dracula could have been lying."  
"But why would he make such a lie? It makes sense. You have no memory because God wanted you to live not as an archangel but as a man to do perform at his will among mortals."  
His pace slows, a slight frown upon his face. "That would explain the memories I have of hundreds of years ago. But if this is so, then how can I be sure? I am not immune to disease. I have been injured. I feel anger and lust and curse and hesitate to go to church. Surely an archangel would be happy to return to the most grandiose house of God in all the world."  
"I suppose you will never know the real truth. But I do believe it."

"Why?"  
"You healed more quickly than any person I have ever known. You allowed me to almost kill you. It would take a normal man weeks to regain their health."  
We have walked through the town and past the well. As we go by the last house, he answers "I do not feel like an angel."  
I smile. "You are God's gift to my people, if to no one else." Perhaps his intentions are not as malicious as I had supposed them. How frequently my moods change now that Dracula is gone. When he had been living, all I felt was exhaustion, hunger, and suppressed rage.  
I must have embarrassed him with my statement, for he does not speak again for several minutes. "Truthfully I do not know when I will go back to Italy."

"You have a responsibility to report that Dracula is dead."  
"According to the bureaucracy of Catholicism." He sighs. "Then I will be sent to some other Godforsaken country and have to fight another evil creature. I am simply a drone to be ordered about the continent, with no feelings or desires of it's own."  
"If you informed the church of your status as one of God's own—"  
"You don't understand!" He stomps forward in the snow. "If I tell them they will parade me around, lock me in rooms and study me, constantly manipulating me into a sense of guilt and obligation. I am tired of what they deem as God's will. I think God has different plans for his people."

I watch him breathe heavily. "I do not approve of your disagreements with the Vatican, but I understand what you tell me. A break from the monotony of your work may do you some good. Here you are always welcome."

He raises his head and stares into my eyes. How much is there hidden under his menacing persona? He is so frustrated with his life, but sees no way out of his current situation. I know I would be extremely unhappy if I was treated as he is by the church, but I cannot tell him to abandon our faith. The world needs him. God needs him to do what he has been trained to do. No one else can provide the safety he can bring to mankind. It must be difficult for him to understand the impact he has on the people he saves because he does not stay in any given place long enough to comprehend it.

"Shall we head back?"  
I nod and we return to Vaseria the same way we had left it.

Compared to the anxiety of the early evening, the next hour or so is not filled with anxiety or interesting conversations. After sitting around a short while, Van Helsing asks me what I intend to do with myself now that Dracula is dead.  
Having the feeling that I had responded to this question before, I frown slightly. "I don't know. I've never had free time before."

He smiles and wanders off. I return to my bedroom. I bathe, and do other pointless activities to pass the time. Lugging the hot water from the kitchen to the bathroom, while normally unentertaining and laborious, allows me to waste even more time. I have heard of a system that would allow you to simply twist a handle and soon have a tub full of hot water, but nothing that modern has ever come into Vaseria. Our guns are barely considered current, and my preference has always been with less conventional weaponry. Yes they are outdated, but they serve their purpose quite well.

I comb my wet hair while sitting in front of my wooden dressing table, as I imagine a great lady of wealth and reputation would do. Her maids would wait at a respectful distance, waiting to powder her face or spray perfume on her neck. It is very eerie to stare into a mirror and see nothing in it but the objects behind you. I realize suddenly why I thought of a great lady when I begun to comb my hair: I had seen Verona comb her long, ebony hair at Castle Dracula. No, I do not think fondly of her now that she has been killed for the second time, but I realize now that some unbiased part of me did respect her. She was more sensible than any person in that damned castle. She was loyal to her husband no matter what, and to some that is an extremely commendable trait in a woman.

Unfortunately, such thoughts welcomed discomforting memories to my unoccupied brain. Aleera's threats and actions before the intervention of the sun send a blush to my cheeks. Her ecstatic proclamation to Count Dracula regarding her pregnancy crashes into my head and a rush of horror turns my stomach. What if I am carrying his child? It is not unheard of for victims of rape to give birth to their aggressor's child, even after just one attack. I cannot have one of those revolting monsters he calls his children! How could I keep it a secret? Even if I convinced someone to marry me, in nine months all would be known! My villagers would destroy me without a thought! My own people would turn on me!

In a fit of hysteria, I jump up from my seat and yank open the drawer of my nightstand. The silver stake hidden in the back of the drawer rolls forward and smack against the wood holding the handle in place. I grab it, the silver stinging my hands slightly and force the point to spring forth. I have no choice now. Suicide is a sin, but I have sinned enough for this to be of little importance to God. I stand next to my bed, my hand clenching the stake for an immeasurable period of time. My fear of hell is the only thought that prevents me from shoving the silver point into my own chest. Would the devil increase my suffering because of my supposed betrayal of his son? Would I be forced to suffer alongside Dracula, if Dracula suffers at all? What if I am merely to live with him in hell as I lived with him on Earth? I cannot go back to that. I would lose my sanity if I was forced to be with Dracula again!

Van Helsing's voice comes from outside my door. "Anna?" He knocks three times. "I have a question for you."  
I don't answer. His timing is impeccable. If he found out what I was doing, he would stop me. I am already dangerously close to putting the stake back in the drawer, and I need no other reason to do so.  
"Anna? I know you are there, and that you can hear me."

A few more seconds of silence pass. I begin to perspire, despite the low temperature of my bedroom. Why can I not commit suicide? I had claimed I would dozens of time to save the name or soul of any of my family members!  
"Anna?" He sounds concerned. "Open the door."  
I turn the stake towards my heart and swallow, my hand convulsing slightly over the cold metal. This is right. This is what God wants me to do. This will be best for everyone, including myself. I will reap what I deserve. I trust the lord to with me what he will.

I hear the door swing open behind me. It slams against the wall, as though he had assumed it was locked. I instinctually turn to see him step into my room. We stare at each other with wide eyes. Thank God no tears blur my sight.  
He inhales and exhales slowly. "Anna, give that to me." He almost whispers.  
I look back at him, my free hand grabbing at the clean trousers I had put on after my bath out of nerves.

"Give me the stake Anna." His handsome face and calm words fill me with a sense of complacency and I almost do give him my weapon.  
"I can't."  
"Yes you can."  
"No. I have to do this."  
"No you don't. You are the only one that thinks you must."

"I must."  
"Why?" The utter calm that has fallen over us both astounds me. I should be crying and he should be shouting and wrestling the silver stake out of my hands. I at least expected exasperation on his part!  
"I could be carrying Dracula's child." Amazed by the bluntness of my own words, I blink several times and sway as though I am dizzy.  
Van Helsing, obviously unhappy with the idea, responds without thinking. "Neither of us have any way of knowing that now."

"I cannot tolerate the possibility."  
"We can deal with that situation, if it arises, when we know it to be true."  
"How? How will we deal with such a situation?"  
"I do not know at this moment. But we have time. Give me the stake and we can discuss it."  
I can only return his stare. I can only watch him step closer and closer. I cannot do anything as he gently pulls the stake out of my hand. He opens the drawer behind me and puts the stake back in its place. I can only watch the skin of my irritated palm heal itself, the red swirling back into white.  
I had been too weak to kill myself. How empty have my words become now that the one cause I had so passionately followed has been fulfilled? Expecting to burst into tears, I sit on my bed, rest my elbows on my knees, and cradle my head in my hands. Van Helsing sits next to me.

"I must seem like quite a hypocrite."  
He says nothing.  
"I said I would gladly kill myself to save the honor of my family, but now I have no the strength."  
"Your family has more honor in my eyes than any family I have ever known."  
I turn my head to look at him. This view is very odd, but his sincerity can still be seen. "You must not know very many families. Many deserve more honor than the Valerious family."

"You are right. I am not familiar with many families. However, what I have seen and been told regarding your family is evidence enough. You hold your religion close to your heart. You are passionate and committed to the promise your ancestor made to God. You are not stupid and vain, which leads me to believe your parents were neither. If your devotion to your brother was any indication of the closeness between the members of your family then you all must have been as close to each other, or even closer. I have no intention of offending you, but you need not sacrifice yourself to save your family's honor. The Valerious's are most honorable in my eyes."

I can only sigh after such a complimentary speech. He probably would not mind going through with the mandatory marriage if what he said is true. Oh, how can I think that? No man will marry a vampire! "Thank you.."  
"You must not blame yourself for what has happened to you. God does not punish those who have been robbed for just being part of such a crime."  
"I feel as though it is my fault."

"Oh, yes, how terrible. It is all your fault Dracula and his brides have finally been killed and that none of their children will ever wreak havoc upon the earth. The good you have done far outweighs anything you did with impure intentions."  
"How am I to take credit for his death when it was really your doing?" I lift my head to look at him.

"I want you to take credit. It is yours. It obviously means more to you than it does to me."  
"It is my understanding that you knew Dracula when he was alive. It must mean something more to you than just destroying another creature of evil."  
He pauses, but continues "It does mean more to me than the other creatures I've killed, but perhaps there is a reason I do not remember my past with him. I have the feeling that horrible events happened when I knew him before..." His ambiguous words trail off into the air.  
"In any case, I am not concerned with it now. I am glad he is gone."

"In my mind I always imagined doing so many things after Dracula was killed, but now they all seem insignificant."  
"How so?"  
"I always thought it would be very interesting to travel around Europe, and to the United States of America, but that seems impossible now that I cannot travel by day. It would be fascinating to see the places I've only read about or seen pictures of. And also I thought I would like to get married and have a family of my own, but that is also impossible. I also thought I would change this village and make it prosper, but once my people find out what I am I will be run out of town, or murdered. And there are a million smaller wishes I have, but I can do almost none of them now. But you do not care about any of this. All you want to do is protect me. Will all of my protests that I can protect myself be rebuffed?"

"Yes."  
"Then it is as I expected. You may leave my bedroom, Mr. Van Helsing."  
"Very well, Miss Valerious."  
I frown "Are you now going to address me so formally?"  
"I only reciprocate what I hear, Miss Valerious."  
I raise my eyebrow "Do not call me that. It makes me feel like a child."  
"Then shall I call you Mrs. Valerious?"

"You know I am not married." I stand, and he does the same.  
"Neither am I. And yet you call me Mr. Van Helsing."  
"That is the only way to refer to someone I know as little as you."  
"You know all there is to know about me, Miss Valerious."  
"Stop calling me that. I do not like it."  
"But, Miss Valerious, why? That is the only proper way to address someone I know as little as you."  
Is he mocking me? I can't say I am too irritated..."I see your point. Promise me you will stop, Gabriel."  
He grins. "On my honor, Anna, I promise."  
"Good. Now get out of my bedroom."

* * *

Yes, that was quite a ride, wasn't it? You all thought Dracula was back, didn't you! Ha! I tricked all those peeps who wanted him to come back. Perhaps Dracula will visit Anna again in the future... 

Who knows? Not me!


	17. The Colloquoy

**Author's Note:**

Shoysrock: Yes, everyone says that. I love Dracula as well, but Anna just would not be able to function with him alive. And, she's my character, whether I like it or not.

Anon E. Mouse: Will you marry me?

annadracula: And you have unraveled the true meaning of the title of this fanfic. I think Anna is in better prospects than she knows. She is hot, lives forever, has tons of money, and is a VAMPIRE. I would kill to be in her shoes. Hells yes.

Skok Blossom: What a compliment! You defintely made my day.

redjegger: You are fully forgiven. I appreciate you sticking to my story since the begining. I understand that you guys love Dracula (I LUVS him too) but there is so much of that on this site, I think we're bombarded with that enough. But who knows? Maybe I'll write something short on the side about those days at Castle Dracula I fast-forwarded through to get to Drac and Anna's wedding. We'll see.

Alright, an update. This is just a short segment with not much action. I don't mean to disappoint you. My editor and I really like it, so hopefully you will too. Also, if you feel the need to correct my Italian, go ahead. But I'm too lazy to change it. :)

* * *

The next evening, after darting in and out of the woods to slaughter yet another helpless animal, I reflect on the events of the previous night. Ever since Dracula's death, my moods have been swinging like a monumental pendulum. Throughout the course of last night, I was terrified, angry at the male gender, uncomfortably interested in Van Helsing, depressed, upset, content, bored, frightened, apologetic, and then content again. It makes sense that I would be confused with the freedom that has been granted to me, but I almost begin to regard myself as mentally unstable.

Possible insanity, adding to my great fear of being pregnant, makes I cover my face in my hands, more with exhaustion than with horror.  
"What is it now?" Gabriel asks, chewing the sandwich I made him while we sit at the kitchen table.  
"What is what now?"  
He raises his eyebrow. "For being so outspoken, I have the feeling you share very little."  
"What do you mean by that?" I scowl.  
He gulps down the water from his mug to relieve himself from answering. When I repeat the question, he simply asks "If you were alive, what would you be doing right now?"

I frown. "What?"  
"Suppose that Dracula had been killed and had never made you a vampire. How would that change what you plan to do in the future?"  
I put one elbow on the table and lean my head against my hand in a defeated way. "I don't know."  
"What about all those things you told me last night?"  
"Oh, I would probably be trying to find a husband! I would be trying to get married and have children to succeed me and rule the gypsies."  
"Well, why can't you do that now?"  
I roll my eyes. "Don't be stupid, Gabriel, it doesn't suit you."  
"I'm not being stupid."  
"I can't have children!"

"How do you know that?"  
"Dead things can't give birth to living things. Dead women can't support growing babies."  
"Have you ever heard or read anything about a vampire woman having a living man's child?"  
"No."  
"Then it is not impossible."  
I shake my head. "Now you truly are being stupid!"  
"Now even if you couldn't have children, couldn't you adopt orphans? Are there orphans in this village?"  
"The child would not be of royal blood."  
"Be reasonable, Anna. You must know something about history. When royal families try to keep their children of royal blood, defects occur. Impotence, mental retardation, physical abnormalities, etcetera. And one is not born a great leader. Anyone child can be taught to rule with the right instruction."  
He is not wrong, but I do not like his tone…"Are you encouraging me to adopt a baby?"

"I'm trying to tell you that you have options, my lady." His voice is tinged with sarcasm. Or is that exasperation?  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You're smarter than that, Anna. You know damn well what I'm talking about. You're just going to sit in your room all day wallowing in self-pity because all you can do is tell yourself you can never be happy again. You may not be alive, but you still exist. You can still do anything you want to. You have a hell of a lot more than most people. Your people love you, you have a big house, lots of money, a pretty face, and something of a brain behind it."

I stare at him, and he continues. He isn't shouting exactly, but his voice is not normal. It sounds as though he has thought this through. "I know you have had a hard life, and I know this was not how you anticipated life without Dracula, but for God's sake. Isn't this exactly what he would have wanted you to do? He would have wanted you to suffer with or without him. He knew you would hate being a vampire, and by hating it, you are letting him win." He inhales and exhales slowly. "You probably won't have adjusted by tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or even in ten years, but if you can't let that stop you. You deserve the life you want."

I lower the arm on the table to rest on my thighs. "Why are you saying this?"  
"If yesterday was any indication of what the future will bring, then I intend to change that future as much as I can. Being around a woman as forceful as you are would take a toll on anyone."  
"How very selfless of you." I grumble.

He looks up from his now empty plate and I snap "And I don't know what future you are talking about. Surely you are to return to the Vatican shortly."  
"I believe it was you who informed me that I would always be welcome here."  
"You may stay in this village, but you live in this house under my invitation, which I realize now I should revoke."  
"I'm not leaving."  
"What?" Does that mean he is not leaving now? Not leaving ever?  
"If you really persist in thinking that you need no help, _Princess_, then why have you not forced me from your village already?"  
"It would seem ungrateful to drive the destroyer of Dracula away from the people who appreciate him the most."  
"But you could have sent me to someone else's home. There must be several houses willing to take me in."  
"Do you want to leave?" I ask, turning the conversation back to him. "If the Vatican discharged you from Transylvania would you leave?"

He blinks. "No."  
"Why not?"  
"The same reason you don't expel me from your home."  
I frown. He is right. If I really disliked his company, I would have sent him away by now. If I am very honest with myself, I will admit that I care about him. I don't love him, but he is different. It is hard for me to imagine myself marrying anyone in my village, but Gabriel is polite, and intelligent, and strong, and handsome. How rare is it for all of those qualities to be present in an eligible bachelor? Perhaps I should tell him that I am at his disposal in regards to matrimony. And does what he said mean that he cares about me as I care for him?

This idea transforms my frowning face into a look of quizzical apprehension, but he just smiles. "What do you want to do?"  
I sit back in the chair, and the ancient wood creaks in mild protest "I always told myself that when Dracula was dead, I would—"  
"No." He interrupts, still grinning. "Right now. I don't' care what you said you would do. Tell me what you want to do this very second."

I raise my right eyebrow. Truthfully? I would love to sit by the fire with him and drink hot chocolate. But that smile of his makes me wonder if perhaps he would try something similar to the clever trick he used against me the last night of the celebratory dance. "I don't know. You seem to know everything about me there is to know. Can you not anticipate what I would like to do?"  
His smile wilts. "I…was it snowing when you went out earlier?"  
A shameful blush bursts into my cheeks as I nod my head. I never notice the weather when that starved demon forces me to murder.

"Then we shall stay in. I could try to regain my honor my challenging you with my unfaithful deck of cards."

My mind flies back to the first time we had played cards. He had called me beautiful. What if this time, he asked for a kiss as his prize for winning? Embarrassed at my own assumption, I begin to rationalize my thoughts. Gabriel has manners, but that does not mean he thinks of me as I think of him. But just how do I think of him? Is he my friend? How can he be my friend when I know so little about him? I would be sad if he left. Concluding my mental calculations, I deem him to be a friend. And only a friend he must remain. It will take strength of mind and heart to ignore his powerful physique, his warm eyes, his elegant, handsome face, and his intelligence in matters so important to hunters such as ourselves, but I must succeed to protect myself against the evils of men. Goodness knows nothing bad can come from keeping him at a distance. If my incarceration taught me anything, it is that men are best viewed at a distance. Or, with their throats torn out. Though, perhaps only Dracula's throat was best ripped open…

"I believe this is where you tell me that you would love to lose gallantly to my superior gaming skills."  
"Yes." I blurt out loud without thinking.  
His devastatingly attractive smile returns. "Good. I'll get the cards."  
I clear the kitchen table, scowling at my unconscious attention to his appearance. Am I a child? Only young girls think in such stupid ways. He is my friend. I will be civil, but not inviting in any way. All men think of the most foul things when a woman so much as smiles in his direction. Don't they? Feeling suddenly overwhelmed with confusion, I grab a shawl from the neighboring room and throw it over my shoulders. There. That should remind him of an old woman. But he is a religious man! A man of high morality! I do not need to resort to such obvious distractions!  
"Cold?" He asks, entering the kitchen with the deck in his hand.  
"Yes. I could light a fire in the fireplace if you like."  
"Why not?"

Soon I am seated across from him with a hand of cards staring back at me. One of them is the king of spades. Jesus Christ. The firelight drags me back to a place and time which I wish to put out of my mind forever. The dark, rippling curtains of Dracula's bedroom had hung limply around me as I looked up and away from him, trying to focus on anything his eyes, sparking with desire as he peeled the dress off of my body. I waver in my seat, the same heart-stopping terror leaping inside me. "What prizes have we to play for this time, Anna?"  
"I don't know," I murmur, horrified by the sight of his face in the firelight. I had seen too much skin by the light of a hot fire. Never had I felt more fear than when he had stolen my virginity from me that night. My hands begin to shake and I place the cards flat on the table.  
"Anna?"  
"Please put out the fire."  
Without another word, he moves to douse the flames. If our places had been reversed, I would have asked him why.

"Are you ill?" He asks, lighting a solitary candle on the table. When I shake my head, he requests that I sit in the chair next to him. "So it is easier for me to take all of your beads." He explains.  
"Several agonizing minutes pass in silence. The flickering candle and the sharp snapping of cards are all that puncture the tense air. "Where did you learn how to defend yourself?" I ask as he scoops up a good portion of my beads.  
"Various places in Europe. I spent a month or so in China as well. The Knights of the Holy Order is a very wide-spread organization. At the time it felt like I would never do anything but train for a job I never wanted to do."  
"Then why did you continue?"

"They fed me and gave me a place to sleep. They gave me a purpose. They were always preaching that I have God-given talents that I must use in His name. I suppose I could not think of a better way to spend my time."  
I nod, and he asks me the same questions. "And how have you acquired such useful skills?"  
"I have been taught to keep myself safe for as long as I can remember. Most parents teach their children how to read and how to swim. My parents taught me how to fire a gun and use a sword."  
"Are you telling me you can't read?"  
I move my gaze from my cards to his face. "Of course I can read!" I reply with a frown. However, noting the wide grin upon his face, I laugh. The laugh, so foreign to my own ears, sounds more like a snort, which makes Van Helsing laugh heartily.  
The atmosphere lightens in a matter of seconds. "Can you read in English?"  
"Yes I can."  
"When did you learn English?"  
"When I was ten."  
"But why English? Romania is very far from England."

"Yes, that is true, but for a brief time my parents wanted to send my brother and me away to school as far away as possible. We both resented the idea, but they forced us to learn English nonetheless. I admit that it is not very useful."  
He speaks again after a brief pause. "Ten, you say? No wonder your accent is so thick."  
I blush. "I apologize if it is hard to understand me." I vow to practice talking more like Van Helsing and less like Dracula.  
"No, no." He places a card on the table. "Your English is very good."  
"You must speak more languages than English."  
"I speak German. A little Spanish and French. And obviously Italian."  
"It must be wonderful to live in Italy. It must be beautiful there."  
"_Non come bellissimo come tu_." (_Not as beautiful as you.)_

I just smile. "You must seduce many pretty Italian girls with such a vast knowledge of languages."  
He shakes his head. "I would be scrubbing the floor if anyone caught me doing that."

I laugh again at the thought of him on his hands and knees while a stuffy Cardinal lectures at him. "Not the great Van Helsing!"  
He raises his eyebrows "You don't know the men at the Vatican."  
"I wish I was as worldly as you are. I have never been further away from home than Budapest. And before All Hallow's Eve I had only been there once!"  
"I may have been to many places, but I am not allowed to stay and enjoy the sights. I'm sure I have missed more than I should have."  
"Even in Italy?" I cry, scandalized.  
"Even in Italy." He hands his head in feigned shame, and I giggle again.

The portals opened by this jovial conversation lead us farther and farther into each other's minds. We talk of so many things that it will be impossible to name them all: politics, scientific inventions, natural phenomena, magicians, performances, literature, music, art, ridiculous fashions, food, and eventually various cultural rituals.  
With drinks I have prepared, we decide to retire to a sitting room nearby. I work up the nerve to light a fire in the fireplace, and fix us steaming mugs of hot chocolate, just as I had originally foreseen for this evening. "Wait, where is this done?"

"It isn't done there anymore. I think it was during the Renaissance."  
"Explain it to me again." I sip my chocolate while leaning against a footrest. It tastes like boiled water."  
"Once more? Alright. If a girl wished to marry a man, she would go directly to the granary. Then she would take off all of her clothes and roll around in the grain." He waves his arms up in the air and twists his body as though to demonstrate just how this was done, even though he is sitting up.  
I laugh, "Then what?"  
"Then she takes the grain and makes it into a loaf of bread. After that, she finds an apple, and rubs it all over her neck and face. Then she takes the bread and the apple to the man she wants to marry as a gift. And within a few days he would propose amorously, because the taste of the bread and the scent of the apple had made him think of nothing but her."  
I cannot help but chuckle at the idea of rolling around naked in a pile of grain. "What country had such stupid girls in it to think up this idea?"  
"I cannot remember."

"He reclines against the lower part of an armchair and I run my fingernails over the side of the mug. However different our opinions had been, we had managed to keep such a positive tone. And his intellect had opened my eyes to thoughts that exist outside of my small world here in Transylvania. I do not recollect ever talking this much at any given time without referencing Dracula, his brides, or his werewolf. And how refreshing it is to talk to someone with an intelligence higher than my own!  
Gabriel too seems to be reveling in the joy of good discussion, for his smile only lessens enough to cover his teeth. "Isn't it nice to talk of things we normally do not get to speak of?"  
"Yes."  
"Now you can do so every day, if you wish."  
"It is nice to talk to someone from outside my village."  
"I consider it nice just to talk to someone."

"Are you lonely on your travels?"  
"It is hard to find someone that understands my occupation. You seem to understand more than anyone I've ever met."  
"We have very similar duties. Though you perform them much better."  
"Your strengths are nothing to belittle! You have protected your people for as long as you have been able! And you had neither the time nor the resources I had. I consider you more than qualified to rule the gypsies."  
Does he really believe his own compliments? "The first ring of hell is for flatterers, Van Helsing."  
"I do not seek personal gain in giving my honest opinion."  
"Perhaps I am just surprised at your civilities. You seemed so taciturn when we first met."  
"Charming women and meaningful conversation bring out the best in me."

I smile, then hide my grin by taking another sip of hot water. "If that is what brings out the best in you, then you should marry a studious girl."  
"You know the Vatican forbids me from marrying."  
I place my mug on the floor and pull my knees up closer to my body. Resting my head on my knees, I ask "Then I will ask you what you asked of me. Suppose the Vatican set you free of your God-given duty to protect mankind. Then what would _you_ do?"  
He exhales loudly. "Hmm. I have a personal interest in tracing my heritage or finding any family I have living. I suppose it is possible that God sent me to earth without a physical mother or father, but I have vague memories of people I think I am related to…"

His sentence trails off into pensive silence, but he soon begins speaking again. "And you were right. I should marry. If I could, I would marry a girl that could love me and that I could love. She would accept, or forget, that I have killed so many people and committed so many sins. I would devote my entire being to her, and she would do the same for me. I would take up some trade and make enough money for us to live comfortably. Far away from Italy and the Vatican. We would raise our children and be happy just being with each other."  
My eyes widen with surprise. "It takes a man very sure of his masculinity to admit that is what he wants."

He shrugs. "I'm not worried about your judgments, Princess. But even if I was set free by the Vatican, that would never happen."  
"Why not?"  
"Women want security. I have no money, no land, no title to speak of. I have no friends, unless you count Carl. And I suppose you honored yourself with the idea that you are my friend." He grins, the fire having nothing to do with the sparkle of his eyes.  
My cheeks turn pink. "If you do not want my friendship, then I shall treat you as a stranger!"  
He laughs. "Oh, no Anna. I give you my word. I treasure your friendship dearly." His voice is just mocking enough for me to be confused by his declaration.  
"If you allow me to be considered a friend." I tease "Then you do have connections. You have been the houseguest of a princess."

He smiles. "That is true. But are you not Queen?"  
"I do not know. I believe I have to be engaged for my title to change to Queen of the gypsies."  
"Well, now all you must do is advance my pecuniary earnings, give me a title, and a plot of land, and then I will be an eligible bachelor."  
"You need no title. Forgetting that you are the infamous Van Helsing, you have the equivalent of royal status as the savior of my people. At least here you do."  
"Then what shall I do to earn a living?"  
"For as long as you live, I think my gypsies will give you everything you need, free of charge. You have helped us more than you can possibly know."  
He nods, and an idea bursts into my head like a firework "You should marry a gypsy girl!"  
Gabriel just continues to smile. "Should I?"  
"Oh, yes! Romania is days and days away from Vatican City, and the people here understand that you sinned only to save. No man could be more attractive than a man of the Church that has granted freedom to us all."

He nods and stands up to stretch, "These are all legitimate points. Though I doubt any of those girls from the pub are intelligent."  
I nod, rising to my feet "That is also a legitimate point. Well, I cannot vouch for the minds of my people, but I know they are good at heart."

"Anna, you are right. And though the Church forbids it, I confess that someone here has caught my eye." I blink, and after a full minute of silence, he concludes our many conversations with a simple "Good night."  
I do not comprehend the full implications of his words until I have locked myself in my bedroom upstairs. Yes, he could mean me, but he could mean any one of the dozens of girls he met a few nights ago. Oh how perfect I could be for him! I understand just what he feels. Our lives are so similar! Neither of us have any family or real friends, except for each other. And his intellect is so enthralling! He must be more knowledgeable than everyone in this village combined! I find myself jealous of his ability to be confident without sounding arrogant. I wonder what he is thinking right now. Is he thinking of me? Of that girl that captured his admiration? I know I should be discouraging any advancement in our relationship, but upon retrospection, I find I did nothing but encourage it! Pondering the location of my willpower, I slip down into sleep without even removing my corset.

* * *

Wow, Anna has like no backbone. Maybe that's what happens to you when faced with such awesomeness. Gabriel rules. Like, break me off a piece a dat, yo. 


	18. The Petechia

**Author's Note**

Hello my pretties! I am so, so, so SORRY about how long its taking me to post up new chapters. For the first time in my life I actually find myself thinking NOT about this story! I know! It sucks. But anyway, you all have to with me a late birthday (9/28). Plus, then I will know you read my Author's Notes and you will get plus life points. Woo hoo!

ForeverACharmedOne and annadracula: Thank you for actually reviewing! You are the best. Much cooler than my other reviewers.

Anon. E Mouse: Did you forget about HMPP?? AND MY BIRTHDAY!? You have been naughty, and therefore you will recieve a spanking. ;)

I HAVE A SERIOUS QUESTION FOR YOU:  
Sadly, I probably will be less active in the future, until the holidays at the very least. Therefore, you must tell me this: Would you rather me post small chapters frequently, or wait longer for a longer chapter? Please answer in a review or PM!

* * *

"What should we do tonight?" He asks as I sit down next to him on the floor of the sitting room.  
"Last night was fun." I mumble.  
"My, my, Princess. Now a real lady would never say anything that could be construed so horribly."  
My cheeks turn bright red. "Your mind is as filthy as this floor." I pick at a stain dried onto the wood with my thumbnail.  
"Not always. Did you feed?" He asks.  
I scowl. "Don't say that."  
"Don't say what?"  
" 'Feed.' I'm not an animal."  
He shrugs. "You aren't eating."  
I shake my head, dismissing the subject. A minute of silence drags by. The clock standing on the mantle tells me that the sun had set only an hour before. The previous evening had been fun. 

However, both of us seem a little less energetic. "We should go outside."  
"In the snow?"  
"Yes. Are you frightened of snow?"  
"No. But it is much more comfortable inside. What would we do outside?"  
"We could take a walk. Or go riding."  
"Or we could visit!" I lift my head up to watch his reaction to this suggestion.  
His response is less than satisfactory. "Visit who?"  
"Anyone who will have us! Your fame will get us through any door."  
"Perhaps you should do that alone."  
"No, no, no! I insist that you come along! There are still some people that did not get to meet you."  
He furrows his brow "I can't understand them. I do not speak Romanian."  
"I will help you."

He scowls and looks at me, "Is that really what you want to do?"  
"Yes! Here, I'll teach you now. Say _bună_."  
"No, no, I don't think—"  
I lean closer to interrupt him, "Say it. Say _bună_."

"Don't you think we should—"  
"It isn't hard. You know so many languages. _Bună. Bună_. Just try."  
"Alright, _bună_."  
His accent is so nice for just one word! I smile slowly. "Hello to you too."

He smiles back. "Anna…I think it will be awkward if I go with you."  
"Awkward? Ha! I laugh at such a ridiculous idea. Now hurry. Everyone will go to sleep if we do not hurry."  
Two layers of clothing and ten minutes later, I knock on the first door down the road. Faint light is creeping out from under the door, as though from one or two candles. "_Cine a fi ea_?"

"Anna. _Eu a adduce tu ai tăi erou_."  
A little boy opens the door and we shuffle inside quickly. A man and a woman, presumably the boy's parents, greet us with nervous smiles and curt welcomes. They invite us to sit down near the fire burning in their small fireplace and we all huddle around. The silence, even more embarrassing then when Gabriel and I are alone, is broken only when I clear my throat and begin inquiring after their health.

We stay only for twenty or so minutes. Gabriel, who looked surly and uncomfortable throughout the entire visit, was thanked graciously by the mother, who was almost too scared to speak. Their salutations were fumbled and embarrassed, but the enduring sadness in the tired wrinkles of the parents' faces and the old fright still glossing over the boy's eyes remind me of their past.

"You're right. It isn't awkward at all." Gabriel grumbles as we walk to the next house.  
"You don't know what you meant to those people, Gabriel. Marishka killed that boy's sister. They just can't tell you what you mean to them."  
"Even if they could tell me, I wouldn't understand them. I think I should go back."  
"No, Gabriel, wait." I turn to grab his jacket as he tries to turn in the opposite direction. "Please just go to one more house. It will be different."  
He looks more than hesitant. "Anna…"

"Please Gabriel? Please? We will go straight home if the next house is not better for you."  
He pulls his coat closer to his body, and then looks down at me. I try to look as earnest as possible. My people want to get to know him, especially since they expect him to be their future king.  
"As you wish. One more house."  
As I promised, the neighboring house affords Gabriel a much better time. We are both greeted at this house with kisses, hugs, and cries of surprised joy. They give Gabriel a drink and sit him down to barrage him with babbling Romanian. Though he is at first unhappy with the attention, he begins to like the company once my translations catch up with their rapid talking.

"He is so strong!" The jovial mother of the household proclaims happily, "He'll make a good husband, won't he Papa?"  
"Her husband nods and winks at me. "So when is the wedding, Anna?"  
I blush, absolutely refusing to answer Gabriel's question about what they said. I feed him some stupid question about his coat, and in place of the Romanian that should have been his response, I tell the husband, "If anyone in this town mentions a wedding, they will regret it."  
Both the man and woman frown. Even their teenage daughter frowns. "You are going to marry him, aren't you?"

In English, Gabriel asks. "What are they saying?"  
"Gabriel, nothing, it's nothing. " Quickly switching to Romanian again, I tell the couple, "I do not wish to discuss it."  
Most of the other houses are similar to the second. I get many questions about the wedding I am required by law to host upon Gabriel's wish, ad my health. The matronly citizens of my village tell me to sleep and eat more, because I look very pale. I manage to deflect their suggestions without becoming too irritated. Translating constantly for both Gabriel and the villagers is also annoying, but after I see the looks on all their faces, I don't mind as much. He really will never understand what he has done for us. How selfish of the law to assume that such a wonderful person would want to get married. Marry me, of all people.

We stop calling around midnight. Gabriel is carrying several bundles of goodies that families had insisted he take. "Now do you see that I was right all along?"  
His mouth, full of cookie, does not reply for several seconds. "What were you right about?"  
"Everyone is very happy to meet you."  
He nods. "You know your people better than I do. Though if they are always as generous as they were tonight, then I want to get to know them even better."

I smile. As we pass by the church, he suddenly stops. "Will you wait for a moment?"  
I nod, confused as he walks on towards the very first home we had visited. He enters, then exits just a minute later. His arms are empty. He gave that sad family all of the sweets made just for him. A warm, content feeling spreads through my chest as he approaches me again.  
"Shall we go back to your home?"  
"Are you very cold?"

"Well, you cannot deny that it is simply cold. Look at the water." He gestures towards the small dripping faucet. The small basin that catches the holy water looks nearly frozen. He taps the solid layer of ice and punctures it, causing it to break into floating pieces. He holds up one of the shards of ice. "It can get much colder here."  
"I don't doubt it." He drops the ice onto the ground and flicks his fingers out to dry them. "Are your hands as cold as mine?"

I nod, rubbing my fingers together to create friction. "We both forgot our gloves."  
"Perhaps we can keep them warm a different way." He holds out his hand with a shy, yet hopeful smile. I know I should say no. I know I should tell him to not suggest things like this. I know all men are evil and should not be appeased even with gestures as trivial as this. But I slip my hand into his, and for a fraction of a second, I feel it's warm, rough skin envelop mine in a protective, but gentle grasp.  
Then something goes wrong. My hand begins to burn and I pull it back with alarm. I cry out as I see my skin sizzle and steam, and shudder as pain explodes in my palm. A red angry burn transforms into a raised scar before my eyes. The burn, exactly in the center of my palm, looks circular, just like a tenacious droplet of holy water that might have been crystallizing against his finger in the frigid air.

"Anna! Anna, are you hurt?" Gabriel gently pulls my fingers down to see the inside of my hand. Upon seeing my new scar, he looks up at my face. "Do you need blood? Do you need to sit down?"  
"No, no, keep your voice down." I stammer.  
"My God, Anna." He wipes his hands on his coat to remove any excess holy water. "I though it was all off of my hands, I don't know how—"  
"I know it was an accident." I rub the thumb of my other hand over the scar. In a matter of seconds, the pain has been reduced to a dull ache. My own demonic body has tried to protect me from something I used to use against other demons.  
"May I see your hand?" He asks, still sounding apologetic.  
I raise the hand he had tried to hold. He brushes his fingers over the scar so lightly that I almost shiver. When he looks up into my eyes, I can see the anger he has towards himself hidden just behind his concern. "I am so sorry, Anna."

"You did not intentionally hurt me. I don't blame you."  
"But what if there had been more water on my hands? Or I had touched your face? It was careless. And I hurt you."  
His mood is severely dampened by this incident, and instead of offering his hand again, he offers only his arm. He is so upset with himself that he cannot speak again until after we sit down in front of the fireplace again to warm ourselves.  
"I forgive you." I tell him, ignoring the memories brought to the surface by the firelight.  
"I am supposed to protect you." He responds, sounding agitated. "I might as well give you a silver necklace and place it on your neck."

"Gabriel, please." I do not like these reminders of my own limitations. "Can we put this behind us?"  
He turns to look at me. "But you'll have that scar forever."  
"But it will make me think of you. I always want to remember what you've done for us." My own lips almost let the phrase 'always want to think of you' slip out into spoken word.  
He reaches for my hand, and I let him hold it. He gently kisses my hand. His lips linger far longer than I should allow them to stay. My eyes close, we sit together in silence, and the dream does not end until I retire to escape the daylight.

It is only after I feed the next evening that I realize that I am happy. I opened my eyes feeling happy. Not worried, or scared, or repulsed. Just happy. Happy because Dracula is dead. Happy because my family is probably in heaven. Happy because that pitiful family from the night before is probably enjoying the sweets Gabriel gave them at this very moment. Happy that I have someone here to keep me company. Happy that said someone is so intelligent and humble and handsome and kind.

Perhaps I will tell him that he can marry me. We get along well. But how would it work? Either he would become nocturnal, or only see me after he dines in the evenings. The nagging reminders of the limitations I impose swing to the forefront of my thoughts again. He would have to give up his desire for children. And the possibility of eating a meal with his wife. And doing anything together while the sun is up. Oh dear. I see little incentive to want to marry me. Suppose I did tell him and he refused! I think I will keep my little secret. Forever.  
The pessimism of my walk home follows me into the house. I walk up to his room to ask him to join me in a quest to find him supper only to find him slinging his brown knapsack over his shoulder. "Where are you going?" I ask, sounding almost indignant.

"Rome."  
"Now?"  
"Yes."  
"Were you going to tell me?" I scowl.  
He exhales noisily and walks towards me, trying to pass me and exit the room. "I thought you were still asleep."  
Still asleep? That is no excuse! "I thought you disliked the Vatican!"  
"You said yourself that I have duties that are more important than my personal feelings."

I feel anger and shame begin to churn inside me. I have been made a fool of! He made me believe he cared about me! Just when I had given the male gender another chance! I will not stand for this anymore! He obviously has decided to leave now that he realizes I will not jump into bed with him just because he has saved my people! "You are just going to go?"  
"I thought an indiscreet departure would be best."  
"You don't give a damn about any of this, do you?"  
"Any of what?" He growls, looking agitated and tired.

About me! About me! I wanted to shout at him and cry, but nothing would come. "Any of…my people! I can't protect them anymore!"  
"Yes you can, Anna." He pushes his way past me.  
"Not during the day!"  
He descends the stairs quickly, murmuring a farewell I suppose he had practiced in his head "I thank you for your hospitality and kindness. Without you I would surely not have survived, and for that I am eternally grateful. Please offer my gratitude to the other gypsies as well…"  
"Gabriel!" I follow him, rage and sorrow battling for dominance in my head. "Stop, please!"  
"For what reason?" I almost bump into him as he stops and turns to face me in the entry way. "What reason I have I to stay?"

I stare up at him. "That girl. That girl that you've come to admire. What about her?" My throat aches, and my words sound abrupt and forced.  
"I'll see her again." He reaches out and cups my cheek in his gloved hand, an oddly affectionate gesture juxtaposed over his brusque behavior. For a moment, I think he might kiss me, and I stand perfectly still in confused anticipation. Then he is gone. The door closes. And I am alone again.

* * *

WOAH. Gabriel left. Where is he going? What will Anna do? Now that no one is here to stop her, will she commit suicide? Will Anna follow him? Will Anna's villagers figure out she is a vampire? TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO FIND OUT. 

But first review. :D


	19. The Promulgation

Here. I'm sorry about the wait. I can't respond to my FABULOUS reviewers now, but I will update this document soon when I have more energy. I love you all. I think.

Update 1/27/2008  
Please see the Author's Note in the next chapter for all the goodies that usually go up here. :)

* * *

The time congeals, moving imperceptibly along with the thickness of glue. I sit on a worn armchair, staring at the wall. My right leg is draped over the right arm of the chair in a most unladylike manner. My right elbow is pressed to my thigh. I rest my head against my closed fist. My left foot taps spasmodically on the floor. I am bored. I am bored and anxious and hurt. I thought I meant more to him. He meant more to me. He still does.  
I go out and let people talk at me. I don't talk to them. Their words swirl around me like the snow upon the muddy road, but none of them make any sense. Why had I kissed him? I knew better. Especially with my honor as an unmarried woman so tarnished. I knew better. 

Two days pass. Where is he? He must only be in Budapest by now. Perhaps not even there. It does not matter. If I see him again it will only be by my own design or by the design of God. I bathe on the third night, soaking in the bathtub for hours. Would he have been embarrassed to see me resting in the grey water? Would he have cared?  
After I am clean, I begin to clean. I decide to wash, dust, polish, sharpen, organize, and press anything and everything that calls this house its home. This does melt the time, making it run hot like liquid candle wax. But the silence wears at me. All the embarrassing, shameful, stupid, hurtful actions I've ever said or done haunt me in the darkness. I am forced to stop and try to rationalize my behavior, only to discover that justification is almost always impossible. This must be why God has left me with this life. Gabriel had been just a sliver of hope, and he too had left. This house is too large for me. My demon thoughts have too much room to dance about me.

The fifth day after his departure. I wash his smell away from the sheets. I wipe away his dust from the dresser. Why am I doing this? I despise household chores. I prefer being outside. Why do I shut the door, keeping out the people who want to speak with me and spend time with me? This is not worth doing. No one will ever see these rooms but me. But hellfire frightens me. Anna Valerious, the great princess who fears nothing, fears Satan.  
On the sixth day I dress myself with slow fingers. These clumsy fingers dip a rag into warm water and rub that rag across glass window panes. The night is calm. No rain or snow beats against my village. One dark smudge will not be rubbed away. I fight through my apathy and press the rag harder against the glass. The smudge moves down, slowly. I scowl, staring at it. My eyes focus themselves on the still darkness beyond my window pane and I gasp.  
I drop the rag and it slops against the floor. I fly down the stairs, running out the door without even a scarf. I sprint towards the smudge, hearing the sounds of the horse's hooves upon the dirt.

Gabriel stops the horse and pulls the handkerchief tied across his face down to expose his nose and mouth. "Anna, where is your coat?"  
"Inside" I murmur, my exercise making my voice sound breathy and weak.

"Well, what are you coming outside for? You'll freeze to death."  
I smile, almost laughing with delight and shock. "Perhaps you would like to rest after your journey."  
"Yes." He swings his leg around the saddle and hops to the ground. "I would."

After dashing into the nearest house and begging for some food, I run back to my home and into my kitchen. I had forgotten that I kept no edible food in the house. Why should a vampire keep food? Gabriel had gone upstairs to the new room I had offered him and I hoped to surprise him with a meal before he inevitably wandered downstairs to ask for one. As I cook, my heart beats with anxiety. Why had he come back? Had he simply received word of a new creature to kill in Budapest and turned back to a place he knew would let him stay? Dare I think that he could have come back on my account?

I carry his meal up to his room on a wooden tray. The door being open, he hears me approach. "How lucky I am to be waited upon by a princess. And she is smiling too!"  
I blush slightly. My face is so pale, he probably did not even notice. "You have seen me smile before."  
"But never like this." He grins at me until I look away, setting the tray upon his bedside table.  
"Well, I am happy to see you." I try to hide my embarrassment by fussing with the cutlery and the plates. "But I am also curious as to why you returned so quickly."  
When he does not respond, I straighten up and look towards him. "I thought I would continue my break from servitude."

I nod and rest my head against one of the tall posts of his bed. I am very glad he is back. I was very lonely here by myself. I am afraid of what memories and thoughts pass through my head when I am alone. Now I do not have to be afraid…  
"How has Romania been in my absence?" He asks  
"Cold. Uneventful." Several moments of silence pass, in which I watch him unpack, shoving bundles and weaponry into various drawers. "Did you send word to the Vatican?"  
He exhales audibly. "Yes."  
"Did you receive a response?"  
"Yes."

"What did it say?" I ask, realizing seconds later that his personal correspondence with Italy is none of my affair.  
"It said I am to be back to the Holy City within four days."  
I blink with surprise. "Then you have no time to vacation here!"  
He does not answer. He pulls off his scarf and walks over to the tray I set down for him.  
"Gabriel…do they need you?"  
"Not as mu—" He interrupts himself, shaking his head, "They think so."  
"Then you should go back to them." I lift my head and turn my body to face him. As sorry as I would be to see him go again, there are villages like mine all over this Earth that need his help.

Twisting around to see my face, he asks, with visible agitation, "Should I?"  
"If you came here to hurt the Knights of the Holy Order, then you are hurting thousands of weak and helpless people that need a savior. You had no reason to come back here, did you?"  
Suddenly, he grabs my arms and pulls me close so that his torso brushes against mine. "I came back for you, Anna."  
In that moment of delighted surprise, I can see the emotion in his eyes. He looks somewhat anxious, but steady in his conviction. His arms run across my back, pulling me even closer so that his lips kiss mine.

Me. He had come back for me. The passion in his kiss takes my breath away, and I feel my body tingle with forbidden lust. His hand cradles my head in his shameless embrace, and I find myself lost in pleasure. Never before had I been kissed like this except by my immortal enemy, and to receive such affection from someone I truly cared about made me feel absolutely intoxicated. He kisses me as though I am the savior to his existence, and I return his sentiments, free of my constant inhibition.  
After a sweet eternity, he pauses, placing soft kisses on my lips. "You are the reason I came back. Then he pulls me still closer, burying his face in my neck. After a long, though not as unrestrained, embrace he loosens his grip around me to look at my face, "I care about you. The world has had me for as long as I can remember. The world can wait." He kisses my forehead, the wild ardor of a minute ago gone from his eyes. "Now please do not be embarrassed. I am going to eat that delicious food and you will sit and wait until I am done. Will you do that, as a favor to me?"

I nod, blushing despite his plea for maturity. I sit on the bed and watch him calmly dine, resisting the urge to hide my pink face in my hands. He does care about me. Despite all of what he knows and has seen, he cares about me.  
"Are you alright?" He asks several minutes later as he drinks the last drops of water from the cup I poured him.  
As a grin spreads across my face, he mirrors my smile. "Yes Gabriel. I'm fine."

I soon bid him good night. He insists on kissing my cheek, and I scowl as I walk away. He should not be insisting on taking such liberties. With a few hours of night left I decide to go off in search of food. Forgetting that most people are not nocturnal, especially in the dead of winter, I alarm the owner of the store I had decided to scavenge through. He lets me take whatever I please free of charge, but grumbles about the habits of unmarried young women. As though the fact that I am not married could have anything to do with the hour of my shopping.  
I put the meager goods away in my kitchen once I return home. Before retiring I warm myself with the heat of the fireplace in the sitting room. As I review my new situation, I deem it extremely inappropriate. Here I live with an unwedded man who expresses a romantic interest in me with no chaperone in sight. I am not dissatisfied to the point that I shall seek a chaperone, but the fact that this has come to pass seems ironic, considering how ardently my family had strived to keep the princess pure of mind and body.

Though my state of living may be scandalous, I find that I have no desire to change it. If the matron gypsies become upset with me, they may take up a room and preserve my good name. I wander up to my bedroom, pull the heavy quilts up over my legs, and fall asleep within minutes.

A burst of energy greets me after I feed the next evening. "Mr. Van Helsing?" I call out as I slam the front door closed. "Mr. Van Helsing, I think you should—"  
I almost bump into him as he steps towards me from the sitting room. "I thought you were upstairs." I blush slightly at the thought of how loud and immature I must have seemed to him.  
"What should I do, Miss Valerious?"  
"Ask me to cook you supper." I pull of my coat and scarf. "Are you hungry? What should I make?"  
As I turn around, he leans in and presses a firm kiss to my cheek. Surprised, I jump and rub my face where his stubble scratched me. "Gabriel. You should not be so forward."  
"Forgive me. It can't be helped. No one has ever offered to fix me a meal before."  
"I have served you in my own kitchen!"

"But you have never asked me if I wanted to dine. Or what I would like to dine upon. But don't think me ungrateful for what you served me in the past."  
I cock my head to one side, "Does that mean you would like something to eat?"  
He quickly consumes the modest plate I fix for him. We sit together in silence at the dinning table. He sips the watered-down coffee I found in the back of a cabinet. I just sip hot water. They both taste the same to me.  
"Do you realize how dark and cold it is in here?" He asks, looking around.  
I stare at him. "No…" It makes sense that I would have no perception of the normal brightness and temperature living people are used to. And I haven't lit any torches or candles since he left for Budapest.  
"What can you have been doing with no light?"  
"Cleaning." I state matter-of-factly.  
"Cleaning?" He asks incredulously. "You have been cleaning?"  
"Yes." I rise. "I can cook and clean. If I could keep my mouth shut I would be the perfect woman." I extend my hand to take his empty coffee mug back into the kitchen.  
"Who told you that?" He follows me, his heavy boots knocking against the table as he stands up.  
"My mother." I reply, stacking dusty dishes in a pile to be washed. "You sound as if you do not agree."

"You are right. I disagree." I can feel him moving closer to me. Is he trying to corner me?  
"I can't think of other traits a man wants in a woman. Except maybe beauty." I toss out the last word, ignoring my own abhorrence for coquetry.  
"Well, that you have. All you have to keep your lips closed."  
Hiding my grin, I feign offense, "Perhaps I will close my kitchen to a man with such insults."  
He chuckles, and I turn to face him, wiping my hands with a rag. "I apologize. In any case, I lied." He steps forward, placing him too close to me than I should allow. "I like your lips better open."

In one swift move, he slips his hand just under my ear and pulls my mouth to his. Different from the caring gentleness of the kiss last night, this time we kiss with passion as delicious as it is exhilarating. Absolutely breathless with desire, we hold each other close for and immeasurable length of time. We slowly stop, merely standing in the circle of each other's arms. I giggle and hide my face in the thick shirt beneath his coat. I should have noticed it was cold when he wore his coat in the house.  
"What is so funny?" His bass voice rumbles in his chest.  
"You are lewd."  
"We are lewd."  
"I was coerced into the situation and I take no responsibility."

"Very well." He kisses my head through my hair. "Then I will bring some light into this house while you regain your strength. Are you ill, milady? Shall I lead you to a divan so that you may faint in a most grand display of femininity?"  
I laugh and shove away from him. "I have strength left in me!"

We light all the candles, fireplaces, and torches in the house. Now it is lighter and warmer for Gabriel. We settle down in front of a blazing fireplace and I pull a blanket over our knees. The floor is cold, but soon it is almost too hot leaning back against the legs of a massive armchair.  
"What did you do in Budapest?" I ask, looking over at him.  
He shrugs. "Nothing worth discussion. I sent word to the Vatican and got an answer. I bought a few things. Decided to come back."  
"They will be cross when you don't return."  
"I didn't say who sent the telegram. For all they know I'm dead."  
What did you buy?"  
"I would prefer to keep that information private."  
I lean my head back so that it rests against the seat of the chair. "Oh dear. Now I am really curious. Did you get something for me?"

He grins, "What a selfish assumption. Yes, I did."  
"What did you get for me?" The warmth of the fire makes me speak almost lazily.  
"I won't tell you."  
Frowning, I mumble "Then you probably didn't get me anything at all."  
"I did. If you won't believe me, then I shall give it to you now."  
I pick my head up to receive my gift, only to be thoroughly kissed. I am not unhappy with this present, but I stop receiving it much sooner than the gift giver liked. "What's wrong? I can return it if you don't care for it."  
"Gabriel…" I sit up straight and take his hand in mine. "We must stop being so…familiar with each other. In all seriousness, we are behaving like married people, and we are not even engaged."  
"Come now." He shakes his head. "Unmarried adolescents behave much worse than we do!"  
"This is not right. I don't want you to be upset, but I do—"

"Anna, you're a grown woman! You don't have to live up to the same standards as precious teenage princesses are told to."  
"Then I appeal to you as a woman. I don't like the decisions we've made and I think we should do this properly."  
"Do what? What proper way is there of doing this? Anna, I'm not going to make this bigger than it has to be. I just want to be with you. I don't care what other people think of me or of us. If it is really you that wants us to change the way we treat each other, then I'll change. But if you want us to avoid one another because gossip will turn you into someone you aren't, then I really must ask you to reconsider."  
I sit in silence. My gut instinct tells me that this earnest plea was spoken to deceive me and let us continue to live as we are because he desires it physically. I blink and remind myself that this is not Dracula. Can he really want a serious relationship with me? He kisses my temple, "And I'm going to kiss you because you are very attractive and I wouldn't be able to stop even if you asked me to."

I smile and push away my inhibitions, "I find myself bested."  
He wraps his arm around my shoulders, "Not bested. This isn't a battle. Try not to think so much."  
I laugh, "Is that your philosophy on life?"  
"Yes." He chuckles. "Don't think. Just live."

* * *

I can has reviewz? 


	20. The Chimera

Author's Note 

OMG this chapter is FINALLY FINALLY here. I have been waiting to get here for a long time people. Congratulations on making it this far. You rock. I rock. We rock.

ForeverACharmedOne: Wow. Nice reviews! Do more like that :D I lurvs long reviews.

annadracula: Anna should turn Gabriel? Are you sure he wants to be a vampire? Or that Anna has any desire to practically kill him? She might have to accept herself as a vampire before she could accept Gabey as a vampire. And as for your next review: Your wish is my command! All of those things are coming, just in time. Great minds think alike!

redjegger: I won't tell anyone, I promise. Anna's mental faculties might just explode without Gabey. See chapter below!

cutieismynam, hewhoreaps, Shoysrock: Thank you muchly! Snaps for you.

sRories: You know, that is something to ponder. These characterizations are just my take on these characters. The characters aren't subjected to the kind of situations I place them in in the movie, so no one can really know how they will react in situations other than what they were in during the actual movie. Except maybe Stephen Sommers. Silly man.

vamplady101:) Read the chapter, you silly romantic.

Anon E. Mouse: I still love you, mi amor. But you have to review! You make me feel good about my mediocrity!

Enjoy! Two chapters less than two weeks apart? I guess you can consider this your late holiday present! I'm sure I will be busy soon. Expect a new chappie in late February. Maybe. :)

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We spend the night talking, playing cards, and doing other pointless activities. It is a very nice, cozy evening. I retire to my bedroom just before the sun rises, and this time he does not have to insist on a good night kiss.  
I pull on several layers of night clothes and slip into bed. I don't know where this thing between Gabriel and I will go, but I want it to go somewhere. He is so attractive and humble and intelligent! Oh, why couldn't he have been a gypsy? I smile into my pillow and fall into unconsciousness. 

Dracula's white hand wrenches me up and out of the bed. I shout as he drags me to the floor. "Damn you!" He shouts, pulling my arm up and forcing me to my feet. "Anna, you disrespect my memory. You nymph, you little tart!"  
"What have I done!?" I scream, furiously trying to pry my arm from his grip as he drags me from my room. What is going on? How is he here? He cannot be back again! Terror pumps my heart so rapidly I fear it will explode as he pulls me along down the corridor outside my bedroom.

"I shall teach you to cuckold your husband." He spits out wrathfully, glaring at me with menacing eyes, fiery with an icy blue glow.  
He pushes his way through the door to Gabriel's room. "Stop! No!" I cry out, scrambling to free myself and keep him from harming Gabriel.  
Dracula walks over to Gabriel, who has fallen asleep sitting in a chair by the door. A rifle has fallen from his lap. Dracula grips his hair, jerks his head back, and plunges his elongating fangs into Gabriel's neck. I shriek and try to grab at Dracula, Gabriel, anything to try and stop him. "No! No!" I yell over and over again, but Dracula holds me back with one arm. I can hear Gabriel's voice, "Anna? Anna! Anna!"

I open my eyes. My dark bedroom solidifies before me and I stare wildly up into Gabriel's beautiful brown eyes. I immediately reach up and pull his hair back. His neck is unharmed, with just a thin scar near his collarbone. Oh my God. It was a dream. Another dream. "Another dream." I rasp, my breathing oddly short.  
"Jesus, Anna. When I got here you were about to fall off the bed."  
"What?" I find myself calmed by his warm hands holding me up by my upper arms.  
"You were thrashing around so much I thought you were having a seizure." Or that someone was hurting you." He pulls me to him, hugging me and a gentle embrace. I become acutely aware that he forgot to button up his nightshirt before he came to rescue. I cannot say I mind. His muscular chest is very warm and reassuring.

I close my eyes and rest my head against him. I feel safe wrapped up in his arms. After a minute or so, I am back to a rational state of mind. "Gabriel…" I push back and put my hands in his, "What time is it?"  
I don't know. The sun set a while ago. And hour maybe. Tell me what you dreamt about. Please."  
"I don't want to remember it."  
"Alright." He breathes deeply. "I should leave you." He murmurs, but does not rise.  
I squeeze his hands. "Yes, you should." I have the feeling neither of us want him to go. "Thank you for rescuing me." I smile. I can see him in the darkness, but how well can he see me?"  
He grins, "You are most welcome. Have I earned a kiss?"  
"You have."  
"Am I to receive it now?"

I consider the monumental impropriety of kissing a man you are not married to while you both sit on your bed, with him almost half naked and with you in your nightclothes in the darkness with no one else even in the same house as the two of you. Then I disregard that gargantuan impropriety. I lean forward and press my lips to his. His arms find their way around me again. I succumb to the power of lust and it takes only seconds for my hands to creep up the back of his shirt and pull his wide chest to mine. He seems surprised, but not displeased. The kiss deepens into an unsafe degree of passion just moments later, and I have to pull myself back with an embarrassed blush.

Breathing heavily, he apologizes, "I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry." He kisses my left palm and leaves quickly. I stare after him. He could not even look at me? Does he already regret that moment of ardor? I was too forward. I should not have kissed him. Always let a man kiss you, as Mama said. Then you can never be called loose or embarrassed if he does not feel the same way as you.

I sprint around my room to dress and go out to satiate the hunger beginning to rise inside me. When I return I walk briskly into the kitchen. I was still slightly perturbed that he had practically run away from me. I tried to let my anxiety go and offered to fix him something to eat. He nods, only glancing at me from his seat at the table.  
After he dines we sit at the table. I sip hot water while he drinks coffee. "Are you upset with me?"  
"No. But perhaps I should be."  
"Why?" Now he remembers he is allowed to look me in the eye.  
"I don't know. Why are you acting like this?"  
"Like what?"  
"Like you wish you weren't here!" I raise my eyebrows  
"I do wish I'm here! Well, no, I am here. I want to be here. I want to be here with you."

I nod, drinking from my mug.  
"You don't believe me."  
"No, I do."  
"Oh." He mumbles, finishing his coffee.  
The awkward air frigid around us, I offer to start a fire and get blankets so we may sit and talk together. Instantly I realize I have erred. This is exactly what I am not supposed to do. If you offer, you are the one that stands to be rejected. Luckily he accepts.  
We sit very close underneath the blanket until the fire warms the room. Then the blanket just covers our laps. Silence looms over me, only making the time longer and our seats next to each other more awkward. Why doesn't he say anything? Why can I think of nothing to say?  
"You are uncomfortable."  
"No, no." I lie.  
"Yes you are." He sighs and rubs his face with his hand. "I told you I was sorry I let things get that far earlier. I didn't mean for it to happen that way. I couldn't…I—you were…" He trails off.

I stare up at him, waiting for him to finish. When he realizes that I expect him to complete his thoughts he breathes in audibly. "You try my self control. I didn't want us to do anything that would make you hate me later."  
I smile, my fears of his discomfort evaporating. "I could never hate you."

He leans down and gives me a short kiss. "Good." He wraps an arm around me and I cuddle closer to him. Then I suddenly find a topic of discussion, "Tell me about Rome."  
"I'll take you there some day. There are buildings there from before Christ. Well, they say they stood before Christ was born."  
"What do they look like?"

Somehow we spend the entire night talking. Well, in all honesty, we take breaks from talking to kiss, but we both manage to kiss sweetly and not wildly and passionately. I am so warm and happy and full of affection for Gabriel that I almost dance up the stairs to bed. I hope he feels the same way about me. Not only because I want him to think of me as I think of him, but because of how joyful he would be if he found himself in this mind set. Intoxicated with thoughts of him, I fall asleep in a soft bundle of quilts and flannel nightclothes.

I am kissed into consciousness. Soft, skillful lips press against my mouth, and I kiss back, the embers of desire flickering inside me as I wake up more. I lift my arms up as the lips kiss down my jaw and rest on my neck. "Gabriel…"I sigh sleepily, winding my fingers into his hair.  
Suddenly, I feel as though my stomach has fallen through the floor. "Not Gabriel, Anna." A deep, thick accented voice murmurs into my throat. The hair in my hands is not soft and free, but pulled tightly back. God help me! I open my eyes as Dracula's hands pin me down to the bed. "You bastard!" I gasp as he pushes himself up, still holding me to the blankets.

He laughs a short, furious laugh. "You truly are a whore, Anna. I could have been anyone."  
I flush and try to struggle against him. "You cannot fool me. This is a dream."  
"Oh it is? This is a dream of yours? Making love to your dear husband again?"  
I scowl with disgust. "And if this is a dream, why does it seem so close to reality?" He tries to bend down and kiss me again, but I turn my head defiantly, absolutely ashamed that he could echo my doubts.

"I could make you crave me in reality, Anna, and I still can." He lifts a hand from my arms and turns my head towards him. He stares into my eyes, and I find myself under his spell. A paralysis of need sweeps over me. I can only watch him undo the strings tied together to the front of my nightgown. He kisses me, and my arms will not protest. They sit, heavy and hot on the bed next to me, allowing him to pull the gown slowly over my shoulders. It cuts into my arms, almost completely exposing my naked torso to him and I feel a lump form in my throat. He shall have me again.

"Vampires cannot dream while they sleep as humans do. They remain dead while the sun shines over the earth. Until the sun sets again, you are mine. You cannot wake yourself from this, what you would call a nightmare. It could be hours until you awaken." He leans down to whisper in my ear, "I will be with you every night, Anna. I will make you remember your husband."  
He grabs at my chest, and I can feel the space where his ring finger should be. I scream in terror. He will rape me every night and there is nothing I can do to avoid it.

Then the scene fades to black. Dracula, the bed, the room, all swirl into darkness. I truly wake up this time. I sit up, wincing at the rush of frozen air. Gabriel is not here to save me now. The absolute solitude frightens me. I shiver from the cold and from fear. What will I dream tomorrow night? I cannot simply stay awake as I did in years past to escape the nightmares. Tears fill my eyes and hot waves of horror fill me. Could this have all been avoided had I not kissed Gabriel? Is that why he is doing this to me? I will never be free of him.  
I pull my pillow to my face and force myself to cry. I cannot hold in all of this throughout the night or I will surely cry in front of Gabriel. He cannot hear me if he is asleep or in the kitchen.  
However, after just a few seconds, I sense a heartbeat outside my door. Oh Jesus Christ. He probably Dracula would send me another nightmare and is listening in on me. I try to silence my tears, but a loud, watery gasp betrays me. "Anna? Anna, are you alright?"  
"Don't come in!" I shout, angry that he would think me so weak as to need someone after a bad dream! Perhaps he wants to be there to hold me in hopes of receiving another token of affection. Oh, damn him!

"What happened?" He asks from behind the door.  
"God damn it, Gabriel, go away!" I wipe my eyes furiously with the billowing sleeves of the nightshirt.  
"Anna…please let me come in." He sounds so sincere and worried that my eyes fill again. When I don't answer, he opens the door anyway. I frown at him and open my mouth to scold him, but he says, "Oh my God! What happened to you?" He sits on the bed in front of me and cups my cheek in his hand.  
"What?" I choke out, trying not to cry. Do I look as though I have been molested? "What are you talking about?"  
"You're crying! And you're shaking! Anna, what did you dream?" He reaches out to hold me, but I wave his hands away. "I didn't dream any of it! It wasn't my dream!"  
"Any of what? What happened?"

I shake my head, but he pulls me to him by my wrists. "Why are you so upset?" He hugs me, "You're scaring me."  
"Oh, Gabriel." I bury my face in his chest. "I can't stop seeing these scenes he puts in my head."  
"They will go away, Anna. No one dreams every night."  
"They aren't dreams!" I try to pull myself away, but give up after just a second. "And they won't go away. He said they'll come every night and I can't stop them."  
"That's just what he says, Anna."  
I pull my head up, "Gabriel, this is serious! I'm serious!" I shout, my voice raspy and full of tears. He looks down at me with concern and a hint of fear. "I can't stay awake after sunrise but I can't go back to that. He'll be waiting for me. Oh, God…" The tears spill out of my eyes as I turn my head away from him.  
"Gabriel rubs my arms with his hands. "I will protect you. I will stop him."  
"How? How can you stop him?"  
He must not have heard me, because he just kisses my forehead and says, "I'll keep you safe. I'll stop anyone that hurts you."

I instantly feel calmer. He wipes my cheeks with a sheet, and presses his lips softly to mine. "Would you like me to bring you blood?"  
Perturbed with his blunt words, I answer in the negative. "I will go out after I dress."  
With that, he leaves me with a kiss, and I slip out into the night to feed. When I return, Gabriel tries to take my mind off of my visions with talk, but I cannot be distracted. I feel guilty that my mood has spoiled the night, but I am scared. I don't like to admit when I am frightened, but the prospect of having to be with him again terrifies me.

Daylight comes too soon. I sit fully clothed on my bed minutes before sunrise. My heartbeat quickens and my breath shortens. I can't fight the unconsciousness when it comes. I grip Gabriel's arms, and he tightens his grip around me. He gave me his wooden rosary and placed it around my neck. He wouldn't listen to me when I told him that was sacrilegious. Gabriel sits behind me, and draws me closer to sit in his lap. He rests his forehead against the back of my head and murmurs, "Pray."

My mind, frantic and confused, decides most appropriately on the prayer my mother taught me for protection, "Pardon me for the evil I have done this day; and if I have done any good, deign to accept it. Watch over me while I take my rest and deliver me from danger. May Thy grace be always with me. Am—"

In my last moment of consciousness, I hear Gabriel muttering in Latin and feel a rush of panic. How can praying be the answer? God has not protected me! But I must have faith! God!  
I wake with the same dread I had lost consciousness with. I open my eyes. Gabriel and I are slumped over against my headboard, his arms only loosely around me now. I hadn't dreamt. There had been nothing. Thank God! What had Gabriel done? Had he done anything? He really is the Left Hand of God. He must be. How else could he have stopped Count Dracula?  
I lay in his arms for an hour or so. I eventually jump up and leave to feed, and I try to be careful as not to wake him.

When I return, he is still asleep. The sound of my boots wake him as I step back into the room. "Anna! Did you see anything? Did you dream?" He shoots up and takes hold of my arms.  
"No." I give him a small smile. "You kept me safe."  
Relief spreads over his face and he hugs me close. "Thank God."  
"That is what I said."  
He laughs, happiness lighting up his face. "Really?"  
"Well, I thought it."

Grinning, he places his hands on both of my cheeks and pulls me up to kiss him. He kisses my lips other and over again, short, joyful kisses. Then he just looks down at me with a silly smirk on his face.  
"What are you thinking?" I ask, feeling myself contract his infectious cheerfulness.  
He breathes out, "I can't tell you."  
"Oh you can't? Tell me or I won't make you dinner."  
He feigns concern. "Now Anna, you know that if I don't have dinner I might turn to cannibalism."  
I giggle, "Cannibalism?"  
"Oh yes. You would be my first victim."  
I widen my eyes, "Oh my. Perhaps I should cook for you."  
"That's a fantastic idea! Shall we make our way to the kitchen?" He offers me his arm.

The dreams do not return. An entire week passes with uninterrupted sleep. If one can call dying every sunrise sleep. But I forget about myself this week. There is only Gabriel. I laugh more, smile more, and live more than I ever have this week. Yes, it is improper, yes we should not kiss, we should not hold each other so closely, but I don't care. Strong, selfless, intellectual, gentle, brave, devout, beautiful Gabriel. We took walks in the moonlight and kissed as the wind chilled our faces. We held hands and talked about our friends. We sat by the fire in silence, just glad to have each other. What a perfect week. Seven days of complete bliss.

I stand by a window on the eighth day after he stopped my nightmares. He peers over my shoulders, wrapping his arms around my waist, "What are you looking at?" He kisses my temple.  
"Don't you think it is odd no one had bothered us?" I reach up and rest my hand on the back of his head, leaning back onto his chest.  
"Some people have asked for you, but I told them you were resting."  
"Oh."  
"Do you want someone to come bother us? Do you grow tired of me?" He teases.  
"No," I smile and lean my head back to kiss him.  
"When will you grow tired of me?" He asks.  
"Probably never."  
"Good." He squeezes me. We stand there for a while, just looking out the window into the black night. A few lights flicker below in the village. Whoever is awake should go to sleep on this cold winter evening.  
"Anna?"  
"Hmm?"  
"I'm in love with you."

I blink. "What?"  
He presses his face to my neck. "I've fallen in love with you."  
I swallow, feeling myself blush. For some reason, I despise this news. A sick feeling begins to rise in my stomach.

"I want to marry you, Anna."  
I start, almost losing my balance, "What?" I blurt out again, very aware of just how stupid I must sound.

"I'm hopelessly in love with you and I plan to marry you." He kisses my cheek. "Are you having hearing problems?"  
"Gabriel!" What? What? Marry me? Oh my God! I wish I could see his face! Is he joking? I squirm in his arms, but he holds me in place.  
"Say yes. Be my wife, Anna." He mumbles against my skin, kissing me yet again.  
My chest begins to ache. My mind fast forwards to a bright summer wedding. A big white dress, and a big white cake. Living together. Our children. Growing old. But none of that can ever be. My voice shakes and I begin to cry. "No."  
"What? Anna?" He spins me around roughly and stares at me with incredulity.  
"I won't marry you."

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Don't hate me!!! Just review! Do you really think Gabriel would just leave it at that? As Dracula said, neither of them ever settle for half... 


	21. The Parley

**Author's Note**

Okay, after months and months of forgetting about this story completely, I am forcing a new chapter upon you. If any of my original readers are reading this, please give yourselves a round of applause. You are a real TROOPER. Don't try and remember from January, click the back button and reread the last chapter or two to re-orient yourself with Anna and Gabey.

**ForeverACharmedOne**: Such high praise! Thank you muchly. Please continue to review. :)

**hewhoreaps**: I agree, Sir/Madame. Gabey just kinda jumped on the marriage-train. I think he either just wants to bang her really bad, or he just doesn't want to go back to Rome. I guess he could love her, but seriously, how long have they been together?? A month? Maybe two, if you can call them practically living together dating. Aye aye aye!

**vamplady101**: Romantic constipation! LOL. Anna (and probably Gabey) is(are) emotionally challenged. Some would argue Anna is also slightly mentally challenged, but that is subject to debate.

**HughJackmanFan**: I think you will like this chapter. And I keep on forgetting Gabey is an archangel! If this whole wedding thing works out Anna will be banging some blessed bootay.

Thank you for bothering to read this. I nub you!

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"Why not?" He barks, confused and annoyed.  
I can't answer. I choke on my tears, embarrassed to meet his eye but unable to look away. But he demands an answer, "Anna? What reason could you possibly have that we shouldn't be together?"  
"Please don't ask me that," I sniffle, pulling his hands away from me and stumbling towards a chair. I slump down into it, an overwhelming exhaustion settling over me.

"Anna, Anna." He pleads, kneeling before me and trying to grab my hands to pull them away from my face. "I don't understand. I love you! Being with you makes me happier than anything else in the world! Don't you love me?"  
My heart breaks. "Oh, Gabriel!" I wish he would just leave. "I don't know!"

He rises, his face flushed. He paces about the room, running his fingers through his hair anxiously. I sit there in watery silence, watching him, trying to repress the hundreds of thoughts trying to form in my head. "Please stop crying." He murmurs, producing a handkerchief and offering it to me.  
"I'm not crying." My entire body shakes with an involuntary gasp, betraying my words.  
"Can we try this again?" He asks as I take the handkerchief.  
I shake my head. "Gabriel, I really don't want to think about anything like this."  
His face falls. "Why not? Maybe I do want to think about this. Why can't we think about us? I want us to have a future, Anna."  
Covering my face with the thin cloth, I murmur, "We can't have a future."

"Then what have we been doing here? Has all of this just been fun? Just something to distract you temporarily?" He growls sarcastically.  
"How can you say that?" My voice almost cracks with fresh sobs. "You are very special to me."  
"And you are special to me. You are the most amazing, perfect person for me and I won't let you go. Now why can't we marry?"  
This is too much. I have struggled against thinking this far into our relationship, and I cannot tolerate its presentation. "We'll have to discuss this later." I rise and try to escape into another room, but he grabs me and pulls me to him. My body unconsciously melts to his, my head falling to rest against his broad shoulder.

"No, Anna." He sounds soothing and calm, but I can still hear the pain and bitterness of rejection mixed into his deep voice. He kisses my head and squeezes me for just an instant. "Please talk to me."  
I close my eyes and listen to his thumping heartbeat. I must love him. I have never felt anything so strong for another person in my life, or my death. I know I love him. But we can never be joined as husband and wife.

"Do you love me?" He asks quietly, stroking my back with his warm hand.  
"Yes." I whisper. His heartbeat quickens.  
"Do you want to marry me?"  
"Yes." He grows even warmer with what I hope to be happiness.  
"Then why won't you marry me?"  
I bury my face into his soft sweater. "I shouldn't."  
After a full minute of silence, he asks, "Why shouldn't you marry me if you love me and you want to marry me?"

"Think, Gabriel." I turn my head and rest my cheek to his chest. "We could never hold hands and walk together in the sunlight. We could never share a meal. We would only see each other after supper. I can't give you a family." I squeeze him, ashamed of my complete ineptitude.  
He whispers my name, but I continue, "The world needs Van Helsing. I can't keep him all to myself. I can't allow God's Left Hand to bind himself in holy matrimony to the bride of Dracula."  
I feel a soft kiss on my forehead. "You are my world, Anna. I want to marry you. I don't care what I am or what you are or what obligations we have." He pauses, then murmurs, "All I care about is you."

I sigh, "You can't forsake God for a woman."  
"I am not forsaking him. I cherish him through loving you. He let you stay on this earth, and let me find the greatest joy I have ever found in you."  
The tears blur my vision. That doesn't solve the other issues with marriage. But who is this man? Just a few weeks ago I hadn't even met him! And now he stands reasoning with me on why we should be engaged! "You deserve a woman better than me."  
"But I want you." He kneels, holding my hands in his. "Will you marry me Anna?"  
I let go. I release my worries. We can worry another time. I rip myself free of my own mind, and smile. "Yes."  
"Yes?" He jumps up again.  
"Yes!" I throw my arms around him and he holds me as though I could disappear at any moment.

"We have to go tell Mary." I tell him after our embrace.  
"Mmmm," He kisses me, "It's past midnight Anna. No one is awake."  
I grin. "But we have to do something!"  
"I know what we can do…" He murmurs into my mouth, smothering me with a hot kiss.  
Five short minutes later I peel myself off of him. "Perhaps we can celebrate in a different way."

"What did you have in mind?" He squeezes my hips, and I jump with a blush.  
"We could sit down to a nice dinner." I offer.  
He smiles. "Are we both to dress nicely?"  
"Oh, yes."  
"What am I to wear?"  
"I don't know. Just wear whatever you can find."  
"And what will you cook?"  
"I don't know!" I laugh, pulling myself out of his arms. "You must go! I must change. Trim your beard! Comb your hair!"  
He chuckles. "Alright, little wife. I shall do as you bid me."  
I escort him to my father's wardrobe and exit back to my room after another long kiss. I rummage through my wardrobe and through my mother's old closet, but find nothing. The most suitable gown appears to be over twenty years old, but fits me the best. It is unfortunately one of the dresses that were worn with metal hoops back when it was fashionable to waste fabric and look like an oversized bell. The hoops in the back of the closet are rusty, so I decide to leave them be. I pull on the frivolous undergarments in an excited haze. Gabriel and I are going to get married! I will have a husband! I will have a husband that I love and that loves me.

I almost break my own arms pulling the corset tight, but I don't mind. I just want to look as pretty as I can for my fiancé! I pull on the first two layers of skirt over my dainty slip and pantalettes. How silly these outfits are! This must be something from America or England or France or some other nation equally as vain. I hum a song to myself and dance down the stairs to start cooking his dinner. I scrape together some bread and meat and pull a wine bottle out from the bar. There. A meal perfect for the king of the gypsies.  
He must have heard me, because I hear his boots run down the stairs. "Are we dining now?" He splutters, water dripping from his face as he bursts into the kitchen.

I clap my arms around my chest. "Gabriel, I'm not dressed!"  
His eyes instantly close, but then he scowls, "Yes you are! You're wearing a dress."  
"Well, I suppose you're right. You may open your eyes." I turn back to the food. "Now don't touch it! If it can just wait for us on the stove just how it is now it won't burn."  
As I try to scurry back upstairs, he grabs me and presses a kiss to my cheek. "You are stunning."  
I smile. "I'm not even dressed!"  
"Yes, well, it is my understanding that women look best in nothing at all."  
"Gabriel!" I pull away, blushing and laughing.

Twenty minutes later we sit down to dine. After three, or perhaps four, more layers of gauzy skirts, my dress still looks wilted, but I cannot find anything else to tie around my waist and hold it up. The gown, a deep emerald silk, is a bit tight, as my mother was thinner than I am. My hair is pinned up in what I hope is an elegant coiffure. I dabbed perfume behind my ears and across my neck, and rouge onto my lips and cheeks. I look as feminine as I can, and I consider that to be quite a feat considering that mirrors are now completely useless to me.  
Gabriel looked awkward in some sort of formal black coat he presented himself in, and begged me to allow him to take it off. And so now we sit, with him eagerly devouring my cooking, and with me sipping a glass of wine.

"Mmmm," He looks up at me and makes a small noise to get my attention. Seeing I am already gazing at him, he swallows and says, "I have thought of rebuttals to all your…worries."  
"You have?" I had thought them almost impossible to remedy.

"Oh yes. Come sit next to me."  
As I rise and sit down again, he lays out his reasoning, "I will not miss seeing the sun. We can walk in the moonlight. I'm almost nocturnal now, and I would sacrifice the sun a thousand times to be your husband. And we wouldn't share meals because I never share my food." He grins, cutting a piece of bread with his fork. He keeps his eyes down, and murmurs, "And you are my family Anna. I don't need children, I just need you."

At the sound of his voice, I feel tears come to my eyes. He obviously does want children. It hurts him that he cannot have them with me, but, if I believe what he says, that does not matter. I quickly wipe a tear from my cheek. How odd that I used to cry roughly once a year. Now I find tears in my eyes almost weekly. "Gabriel…most women do not require these kinds of sacrifices."  
"But you are not most women! You are Princess Anna Valerious." He gulps down another bite of food before he looks at me again, "Princess! You are a Princess. After we marry you will be Queen!"  
"And you king." I place my hand on his arm. My fingers look like chalk on his black sleeve. "We will have responsibilities as king and queen, Gabriel."

He drinks from his wine glass and claps a hand on my knee under the table. "Then I hope you will teach me Romanian as soon as possible."  
My heart dances, and I wrap my hand around his. He soon finishes and stands. I rise with him, our fingers still entwined. His eyes travel down the length of my dress, lingering just noticeably on my bosom. "Come sit with me by the fire. I cannot keep from holding you close any longer."

Gracefully, as though leading me to the dance floor, he brings me to one of the cozy front rooms. The amber light of the fire makes the room's atmosphere sensual, but instead of feeling irritated, the dim waves of heat soothe me into a state of lazy desire. I want to say his name aloud, feel the thick "r" sound on my tongue, and watch its effect on him.  
"What thoughts give you that look?" He sips his wine, having carried the glass into the room in the hand not gently holding mine.

I sigh. "My mind finds so many reasons as to why we can never be man and wife."  
"What reasons?"  
"I cannot tell you. You will think I am asking for flattery. Or perhaps one of them will convince you to leave this very night."  
He hooks his arm around my waist and tries to pull me in for a kiss, but I push away from him. "Anna!" He protests, squeezing my forearm. "Nothing you can say can change my mind."  
"Oh, all men say that." I try to scold him, but my words come out dreamily.

"As your fiancée, I command you to voice your silly misgivings." He finishes off his drink, his cheeks slightly pink.  
"Some would say that I am…"I hesitate, not wanting to put the idea into his head. "Some would say that you would prefer a younger wife." To disguise my blush, I take the wine glass from his hand and turn away from him to reach the small table. I take more time than is necessary to make sure the glass is safely away from the edge of the table and to smooth out my dress. To my surprise, I feel warm fingers trailing lightly over the skin of my shoulders.

I shiver unconsciously at his touch. He runs his hands slowly down the backs of my arms, his fingertips caressing me like feathers. I feel the weight shift on the divan, and he leans closer. Hot lips brush against my back, and I hear my breath catch. Gripping my upper arms, he patiently kisses the skin exposed by my dress, sparing no inch.

He helps me turn my body towards him, moving my weak arms and thick skirts to a more comfortable position facing him. "I don't care if you are eighteen or forty-eight. I can hardly keep myself from touching you whenever I see you. And as long as I can make you want me as much I so desperately want you, then I fail to see why we must know each other's age at all."

And we kiss. We kiss for so long that my lips feel swollen. We kiss for so long that we soon find ourselves almost unsafely close. We kiss for so long that Gabriel has to rip himself away from me to catch his breath. I rest my head back against the seat of the divan. Wasn't I sitting up a few minutes ago? Leaning over me, he rests his forehead against the cushion next to my ear. I can hear him panting as though he has run a great distance. "Must I remind you to breathe?" I ask, pressing his cheek to mine with my hand.

"Of course," He laughs a shaky laugh. "For you take my breath away."  
Feeling reckless, I push his face over mine, and I can see the dark lust in his eyes. I almost ask him if he will take my breath as I have taken his, but I stop. His gaze his so wild. I have seen those eyes before. The firelight dances across his face, and he leans down to kiss me again, but I shrink away. Can he even see me with those eyes? Those eyes that don't see me anymore. That just see a woman, that just see the clothes that can be torn away. I remember where I had seen that look before and I almost flinch. Finding me unwilling to be kissed on the lips, he buries his face into my neck and nibbles my skin. That specific action, so reminiscent of someone I particularly despised, sends knots of discomfort through me, and I try to push him back.  
"Gabriel. Gabriel, stop." I firmly grasp a handful of his soft, clean hair and pull it away from me.

Confused, aroused, and scowling slightly, he stares at me. But his displeasure vanishes instantly and he becomes concerned. "What is it?"  
"It is very important to me…" I suddenly start talking without even thinking about what to say. "It is very important to me that we stop."  
"Alright." He helps me sit up and I carefully and unnecessarily fidget with my gown. He pulls me to him with an arm around my shoulder and we sit and watch the flames in the fireplace. With out heads so perilously close together, it is only natural that he begins to kiss me again. I manage to pull myself back after only a few seconds. "We can't keep doing this."  
"Doing what?" He murmurs, reaching up to touch my cheek and guide my lips back to his.  
I give in for only a moment, "Gabriel, I'm serious. I won't do this."

"You won't kiss me anymore?" The way he asked the question made me feel irrational. But this is perfectly rational, isn't it?  
"Yes, I will, but not like this." I take his hand from my face and hold it. "I won't risk us forgetting ourselves and doing something we will regret later."  
His eyes soften slightly and he kisses my cheek. "You are sure we would regret it?"  
"I want us to wait until we are married."  
He is silent for a moment, and he squeezes my hand. "Then I shall try to resist you."

I almost scold him for thinking we could do anything more than sensible, closed-mouth kissing before our wedding, but I fall silent as well. I suppose trying to stay away from each other makes no difference now. I will never be a woman untouched again, no matter how much I wish I could be for our wedding night.  
The dark lust still lingering in his eyes, he asks "When is the wedding?"  
I smile weakly. His line of thought is not difficult to follow. "When would you like it to be?"  
Looking at me and running a finger down my neck, he whispers "Tomorrow."  
An excited flutter jumps up in my stomach at the thought of being in our marriage bed the very next night. "I would have no wedding dress."

"You look beautiful in every dress." He leans closer, not actually addressing the wedding dress problem.  
"But everyone would—" I stop suddenly. Everyone would know we would only be marrying for carnal reasons. Everyone might think we were trying to legitimize a wild, passionate encounter that should only have taken place in wedlock. Everyone would know when he took me upstairs what we were going to do. Everyone would be downstairs after the wedding. Everyone would be expecting us to emerge the next morning, me with a shy smile and a stiff walk, and him with a chest thrust out with pride and a pompous grin. And what if I didn't even like it? What could I do about it? We would be married, and he would have his rights as a husband. It had been so quick and so impersonal before…

"Everyone would what?" He breathes on my lips, and I jerk back before I even hear what he says.  
"Let's have a summer wedding." The words spill over my lips as though I cannot speak them fast enough. I cannot even think about what we will have to do behind closed doors. I frown at his frown. I can postpone it for all of winter and spring. But don't I want to marry him? Don't I like to kiss him and feel his muscles brush my arms? I do! But I shouldn't.  
"Summer?" He furrows his eyebrows. "Summer? The summer that will come in seven months?"  
"Yes. We have much to plan." I try to remember all the details that come with celebrations, but my mind comes up almost blank. When have I ever worried about parties? "We will have to get a dress made, obviously, and make food for the guests, and get a priest to come, and decorate the hall."  
He waves away my insignificant worries. "That could take one month, Anna."  
"Spring, then."  
"Why should we wait for spring?"

"Why shouldn't we? It would be warmer in the spring. It is so cold now."  
"I agree, it is cold now." He takes my hand again, and I understand that he perhaps does not mean the weather. "Anna, I love you right now, and waiting three months or six months will drive me mad. Why can't we be married this year? Why can't we get married next week?"  
My gaze falls to my lap. I feel guilty, but the idea of going through _that_ again just seems so daunting. I know women have suffered more than I in their marriage beds, but I won't put myself through that.

"You don't want to marry me." He states, all the love and pleading gone from his voice.  
"I love you, Gabriel." I snap my head up to look at him, but he has already risen from the divan.  
"God…damn!" He shouts, and I feel my cheeks flush with shame at having upset him. "I've tried to reason with you. I'm done pleading! I don't know how to make it any more clear to you. I love you and I want to be with you forever, but you can't let yourself be happy with me. We are so happy, Anna!" He twists towards me, his shadows leaping around the stone walls. "When that horrible emptiness leaves your eyes for just a few moments every day, we are so happy together. I want to live with you and be with you every day until I can make everything that scares you and everything you remember go away and we can just…be happy." His voice falls back to a normal level. "I can see you thinking so many things every minute. I know there are memories you won't tell me, and, and," he stutters, "there are memories I have I don't want you to know, but when we both just stop living in the past…don't you want that? Don't you like it when we are here with each other? Not fighting or running from what we remember? I just…" He sighs. "That is what I want. I want us to be married." He sits down again and puts his head in his hands, as though my foolishness is exhausting.

"We can't forget the past." I say softly.  
"I know. I know. We never will." He reaches out and rests his hand on the skirt over my knee. "But we can't let it keep us from moving forward."

* * *

Will they get married? She still seems pretty lame about the whole thing...

I'll make a deal with you: the better and more numerous your reviews, the faster I'll update!

**REVIEW!**


	22. The Solicitude

**Author's Note:**

I'm baaaaack. But I am also rusty. Please be gentle with your reviews. I kinda forgot about my plans to end this story and start another one with the next chapter in Anna and Gabriel's life, so maybe I'll still do that. **So if you like that idea (ending this story and starting a new one) or if you hate that idea, tell me!! **PLEASE do not try to remember where the story left off. Go read the last few chapters and remember which version of the VH story this one is. (Btw: its the awesome one.)

Check out my deviantart page! My name over there is AValeska. I make very bad VH fan art, and TBSOD fanart. What? Fanart for your own fanfic? I know, it doesn't get much worse than that, does it? :)

**ForeverACharmedOne:** Thank you darling! Will do! Also, are we deviantart friends? Or do I just remember you from the ravenous VH fanworld across this great interweb?

**Anon E. Mouse:** God, I love you. COME BACK INTO MY LIFE!

**AsraStar:** Thank you for reminding me where my heart is. Here at 3

* * *

*The next evening I wake up feeling dazed. After sprinting into the forest to drink, I walk slowly back to Vaseria. I scoop a few handfuls of snow to my lips to try and rinse my mouth of blood. I hate the sight of the pink stains that I expectorate onto the frozen ground.*  
*After I let myself in through a back door, I climb the stairs back up to my bedroom to change my clothes. As I pull a comb through my wild hair, I become pensive. So much of me wants to marry Gabriel, but so much of me is against it. I cannot stand feeling so torn. I love him. But what happens when our mutual attraction fades? Will he be unfaithful? Will he find this tiny village boring and run off to some exotic, foreign metropolis? How odd it is to have so many questions in my mind. There never used to be any questions.*

*I lace up a bodice lined with warm fur and decide that a third party's opinion might help. I stop at Gabriel's bedroom to tell him I am going to visit a friend only to find him still curled up in a bundle of blankets. "Gabriel," I call out quietly from the doorway. "Gabriel? Are you awake?"*  
*"Yes. Yes!" His voice rumbles, thick and low from sleep. "Anna, come here."*  
*"Why?" I should not go sit next to his torso on the bed, but I do so anyway.*  
*"I have your present from Budapest." He sits up and grabs me, pulling me into his arms and smothering me with a sleepy kiss."*  
*Laughing, I push him back and feel my heart grow warm, just happy to be near him. "I already received that present!"*  
*"That was not your present, my love..." He reaches towards his nightstand, "My dearest dear," He leans over, grasping me to him with one arm and opening the nightstand drawer with the other, "My sweetheart." He closes his fingers around a small pouch and straightens up. I straighten up with him, a happy rush climbing up my stomach to feel his arm around my waist.*

*He drops the pouch on the pillow and takes my hand in his. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he smiles contentedly. "Are we really engaged, Anna?"*  
*It is so nice to just be playful and loving with him that I forget about my desire to postpone, or even cancel, our wedding plans. I nod, ignoring the biting sense of guilt ringing in the back of my head. Am I really lying to him?*  
*He kisses my mouth with exuberant passion and reaches for the small velvet pouch. He opens it slowly and takes out a thin gold ring. My ring. My engagement ring.*  
*"I had to sell most of what I had to get this for you. The horse I rode back here is actually stolen…but, I…I'm sorry it couldn't be better."*  
*"Oh, Gabriel." I take the ring and run my finger over the smooth gold. "Why did you buy this so long ago?"*  
*He plays with my curls and kisses the side of my head. "I knew that if I was ever going to marry, I would marry you. You're the woman I thought I would never find."*

*I feel my throat tighten. I could cry this very instant. Cry and laugh and smile and kiss him all at once! "It's beautiful Gabriel. I love it. I love you." He pulls me across his lap and kisses me again. "Someday I'll get you diamonds as big as a doorknob."*  
*I giggle, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning my forehead to his. "What on earth would I do with diamonds that big?"*  
*"Wear them."*  
*"I don't want jewelry."*  
*"MMmm, good." He presses his lips to my cheek. "For I don't think you need any. Nothing could make you lovelier than you already are."*  
*A loud laugh bursts out of me "Enough of your sweet nothings! I came to tell you I was going out, but you have distracted me with fine gifts and flattery."*  
*"You are going out? No, no, no. You are staying here with me!" He grins, rolling us over on the bed, so that I am underneath him. The silly atmosphere suddenly melts into one of sinful possibilities. He looks so handsome and comfortable and blissful that I want him to envelop me in his arms and kiss me. He recognizes the intimacy of our situation almost quicker than I do, and he stares down at me with warm, simmering lust. The ring, still clutched in my closed palm, comforts me and keeps me from shoving him away.*

*"Gabriel…" I whisper, a shock of excitement spreading through me. He leans down slowly and kisses my lips. The warmth from his slumbering body lingers on the bedding beneath me. How could it be right to stop? How could this moment be anything but perfect? I never want this to end. Our kisses deepen, and he moans quietly as I reach up to touch the skin underneath his soft shirt.*  
*Only seconds later, he stops. His face, still levitating just above mine, is creased with a small frown. If I pull my face up to his, I know we would continue.*  
*He wrenches himself away, flinging himself up and out of the bed. He slept in his warm, long-sleeved sweater and black pants. I sit up, still feeling drowsy and desirous. My lips ache to feel him kiss them. "My God, Anna." He chuckles nervously and stares at the floor. "Where is that prude of a woman I proposed to? The one who wished for us to restrain ourselves? Where has she gone?"*  
*The words sting me like burning ice. A fiery blush explodes in my cheeks and I push myself off of his bed. What the hell have I been doing? "She is here." I choke out, almost too embarrassed to speak.*  
*"Don't be upset! We have done nothing wrong." He follows me as I try to make a quick exit. He touches my arm gently to draw my attention to him, but I pull away. "We could have!" I protest.*  
*"Is that what you want?"*  
*I scoff, shaking my head at him "Don't ask me such questions." I stare at my boots, trying to hide my pink cheeks. "I never said this would be easy."*

*He nods. "How long will you be gone?"*  
*"Not long." I let him kiss my forehead before I go back out into the snowy night.*  
*"Maria? Maria, are you here?" I call out in Romanian, pushing my way through her thin wooden door.**"Is that MY Anna?" An elated voice cries from another room. Maria emerges and waddles toward me, her grey hair pulled back into a loose braid. The hairs too short to be pulled back frame her face like a soft halo.*  
*"My Anna!" She laughs, walking forward and hugging my waist. "How I have missed seeing you! Why haven't you come to see me sooner? My God, you look so pale! Come in, come eat some soup! Come tell me how you've been. I tried to come once before, but you must have been asleep."*  
*I try to respond to her babbling, but she pushes me into the kitchen and plops a steaming bowl of stew in front of me before I can open my mouth. I wonder what would happen if I did eat this. "I've been well. I've been resting."*  
*'And how is our hero? How is Van Halsing?" She happily mispronounces his name as she begins to clean up her dishes.*  
*"He has been resting as well. I try to find things for him to do, but it is difficult. He must be bored. Vaseria is a big house for only two people."*

*A handful of cups falls to the floor. "What?"*

*I pull my eyes away from my meal. That tone only ever prefaces a loud, frightening lecture."Only two people? You have been living in that mansion with him, _alone_?"*  
*To avoid answering, I scoop a large spoonful of stew into my mouth and chew. There is absolutely no taste.*  
*"My goodness gracious, Anna Elisabeta, you know better than that!" She stomps towards me menacingly. "Neither of you are married! What kind of a woman do you want your people to think you are?"*  
*Maria is the only person on this earth that I allow to talk to me like this. Her face reddens, and I cough out a response, "Maria, please, we're both adults. Two people can live in the same building and not jump into bed together."*  
*She stomps out of the kitchen and into her bedroom, muttering under her breath all the way, "All the times I told her to be a lady! She should have gotten married ten years ago, good God." I follow, trying to smooth the frown from her already wrinkled brow, "Maria, we have done nothing! I can't believe you're still trying to protect my honor. I've never acted like a lady and no one has given it a second thought."*

*Pulling a thick sack from under her bed, she begins to stuff clothes into it, clearly intending to move into Vaseria as a chaperone. Only she would still think of me as a young girl with a reputation to protect. "Maria, stop!" I place my hand on hers and she pauses, looking up to me.*  
*"I came to ask for your advice."*  
*"About what?" she raises a thick eyebrow.*  
*I sit down onto her stiff mattress and sigh. "How did you know you were in love with Kanimir?"  
*She slowly sits, the mattress sinking under her heavy body. Her bright eyes glaze over with memories, and her fingers slip under her blouse to touch the wedding ring that hangs from a chain around her neck. "Oh, that was many years ago my Anna."*  
*Her eyes close briefly, "Those were some of the happiest days of my life, when we were first in love."*  
*"How did you know he was the right man to marry? How did you know you loved him?"*  
*"One just knows. It is not a difficult thing to know." She looks at me, her hand falling back to her lap, "Who are you in love with, Anna? You are to be married, my Anna, you cannot be in love with another man."*  
*A pink flush burns up my cheeks, but it is not all embarrassment, "It is Van Helsing. I cannot tell if I am in love with him."*  
*Maria's eyes narrow and she rises, "Anna, your love for him is not the reason for your marriage. You are to marry him whenever he proposes. Did he ask for your hand?"*  
*Nodding, I pull the ring Gabriel had given me from the pocket of my coat and show it to her. She takes it, running her fingers over the gold, "It is your duty to be his wife."*

*"I know, I know that." I run my hand over my forehead, closing my eyes. This is not the advice I had come for. "But I cannot marry someone because of the law. Marriage is permanent. What if he leaves me? What if he is unfaithful? What if we hate each other in a few months?"*  
*Maria takes my left hand and slides the ring onto the appropriate finger, "Then you will bear it, as women all over the world have for hundreds of years."*  
*Staring down at me, she continues. "If your mother was in your position, what would she have done? What did she put before anything else?"*  
*"Her people." I answer plainly.*  
*"Yes. And your people need a king. He is strong, and smart, and handsome. Of the men that you could marry, he is a good one."*  
*She sits, smoothing her hand across my cheek, "You have become a wonderful woman, my Anna. Brave, and with a good heart. And beautiful. Now, if you are in love with him, perhaps your marriage is God's will. I've wanted to make you a wedding dress since you were a little girl. And neither of us is getting any younger. And I want to hold your baby in my arms before I am to be with my husband and God again!" She smiles merrily, having cheered herself up. My heart almost breaks at the thought of my own infertility.*  
*Fighting to reciprocate her smile, I stand and hug her, "Be radiant, my Anna, bloom! You are a woman to be married to the man she loves."*

*I cannot leave her little house fast enough. She insists on taking my measurements for my dress before I leave. "There is no priest to marry us." I remind her softly.*  
*"Then go fetch one. God knows we need one."*  
*"I should go to Budapest and find for one."*  
*"Yes." She writes the measurements on to a scrap of paper, her clumsy hands forming shaky numbers. "Tell the world it is safe to come to Transylvania again."*

*As I walk back to Vaseria, I slip the ring off of my finger. It feels disingenuous to wear it when I am so doubtful. Perhaps I should take after Maria and wear it as a necklace. Once I am back inside, Gabriel immediately asks who I had gone to see.*  
*"I have to go to Budapest."*  
*He stands and walks toward me slowly as I hang up my coat and attempt to start a fire in the fireplace. "Why?"*  
*"There is no one here to marry us."*  
*"There's no priest in this village?"*  
*"Count Dracula disliked priests."*  
*"The Vatican cannot neglect the gypsies. Surely they've sent priests."*  
*At last the fire catches, and I blow on the tiny flame to make it grow, adding some sticks. "The last priest here was murdered shortly after he baptized my great-great- grandmother. Kidnapped and killed by Marishka. A week later we found his body crucified to the top of the church, naked and rotting."*

*Rising from my crouched stance, I turn to face him, brushing the dirt and snow from my boots. "The king normally marries couples. But first someone must officiate the king's wedding."*  
*"So you will go to Budapest and find one." He states after a short, surprised pause.*  
*Nodding, I look up at his face, "And you will stay here and keep everyone safe."*  
*"I do not like this idea. I do not want you travelling alone, especially not to Budapest."*  
*I frown, "And why not?"*  
*"There are many vampires in Budapest."*  
*I cross my arms and shift my weight back, the growing fire behind me warming my legs, "I thought we took care of that on All Hallow's Eve."*  
*"There are many more than that. For whatever reason, Budapest attracts evil creatures. I am not surprised Dracula had property there. I have been sent to that city more than a few times." He reaches out and slides a stray curl behind my ear, "I will go with you."*  
*I raise an eyebrow in irritation, "Then who will stay here to protect the village?"*  
*"There must be someone here who could do that in our stead. Who would rule if there was no king or queen?"*  
*A few men who would be happy to snatch up the crown, as well as this manor, come to my mind, but I just lean forward and kiss his mouth quickly before brushing past him and heading for the stairs, "If that is the case, then there must be a hundred wanted posters in Budapest with your face on them. I do not want to risk you being arrested, or worse."*

*"And I do not want to risk you being abducted by another lascivious old vampire." He follows me up the stairs and into my bedroom. "I am not lucky enough to successfully rescue you three times, Anna."*  
*I grab a satchel from under my bed and begin packing, "That is a risk we may need to take. I would rather—"*  
*"There is no need to take that risk, I insist on accompanying you."*  
*Pausing, I point a hairbrush at him before stuffing it into my bag, "What if you are detained by the authorities?"*  
*"Then we will have a grand time escaping. And it has been my experience that most law enforcement can be bought."*  
*Dropping onto my bed, I rub my hands with my face tiredly, "I will not win this argument, will I?" Thoughts jump around just behind my forehead. Obviously I want Gabriel to join me, but that would not be wise for more than one reason. I must find something to do between now and the wedding to make sure we are not bored, or all of the lust Gabriel and I have sacrificed on the altar of modesty could become meaningless in one brief evening. The thought of interacting with other gypsies makes me anxious for fear of them discovering what Dracula has done to me. A week of traveling might help clear my thoughts.*

*"No. I will be ready in half an hour." He kisses my cheek softly as I lower my hand and walks out of my room, only to return after a minute or two. "Why can we not send someone else to get a priest?"*  
*My mouth opens to respond, but several seconds pass before I can formulate an answer, "We will be married in Budapest."*  
*"We will?" He appears slightly surprised by my reply.*  
*"If that would please you."*  
*"It would please me if it would please you."*  
*I smile, trying to behave like a woman confident in her impending marriage instead of one riddled with uncertainty, "Of course it would."*

* * *

OR WOULD IT? Anna, stop being a crazy bish and marry that hunk of man.

I promise, lots of fun will come in Budapest. And, fair warning here, original characters. OH NO! X)

Review!


	23. The Terminus

**Author's Note**

So. This is certainly happening. I sincerely apologize for the delay.

All my reviewers: You have made me indescribably happy with your reviews. Thank you.

* * *

"You're frowning."

I relax my face muscles, but he continues to stare at me as we walk past rickety houses on the outskirts of the city. "Are you worried?"

"No."

"You have been very quiet."

"You are always quiet."

He stops, pulling my arm to turn me towards him. We face each other, the cold air chilling our cheeks, his nose slightly pink. "Tell me what you are thinking."

"That old man was looking at you as though he knew you." I comment after a moment of silence. I think back to the wrinkled old face of the widower we had seen pulling up to Budapest. We had paid his sons to look after our carriage and horses. Their barn is the dingiest building I have ever seen.

"He was looking at you as though he'd never seen a woman before. People might recognize me. We will the wanted posters. That does not concern me, and it should not concern you either."

I nod. It was a convincing argument to a worry I didn't truly have.

"Anna…why don't you wear your ring?"

"I…" I start anxiously, "I keep it in my pocket. I do not want to lose it."

He takes my gloved hand in his and rubs his thumb over my knuckles, "Is there any other worry you have?"

He is so handsome. A few times during our journey to Budapest I felt my heart flutter watching him do simple things. Take off his coat, or tilt his hat forward over his eyes. And we stood in the biting night air, waiting for me to answer his earnest question. Something a queen had once told me drifted through my mind. I am in love. Gabriel is my entire life. I have put so much of myself into him that I do not know who or what I would be without him. My passion for him is so strong and so bizarre that I do not know how to express it. It is the kind of passion men use to inflict great pain on enemies, or sacrifice everything to God with. It is the kind of burning, loving fervor that makes women give their life for their children, or makes generals and kings tear countries and worlds apart for. It is frightening. This great love that has inspired books, paintings, plays, poems, songs…it is like a fever. A dream I do not wish to wake from, but one that I cannot control. Terribly frightening. "I love you too much."

He smiles and steps closer, leaning the side of his forehead against mine. "It is an unusual feeling, isn't it?"

I close my eyes. I think he understands. I wonder if the travelling has exhausted me into clarity or bewilderment.

A gloved finger lifts my chin and he kisses my mouth softly. "Are you happy?"

I kiss his lips again. "I am cold. And you must be ready for a hot meal." The dream continues forward.

He takes my hand and we continue toward the city. His hand is warm. We will walk together through time, hand in hand. I will never live and he will never die. The world will change around us, but our love will always be.

_You're waiting for a train, a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you can't be sure. But it doesn't matter - because we'll be together._

_

* * *

_

_And that concludes The Brighter Side of Death._

_Don't fret, I will be starting up a sequel soon. Winter always makes me want to write for some reason._

_I know this chapter was sort of pitiful, but I wanted to wrap things up. Also, I think I might have forgotten how to use verbs. But I hate it when authors never update and just leave their stories dangling out in the interwebs._

Quote definitely stolen from Inception. OH ARTHUR.

I love you all. Feel free to PM me about the sequel or suggest a title. I know what's going to happen, I just have to write it. Silly brain.


	24. The Golden Era

The sequel is up! To get to it, visit my profile and check out my new story! I just published it right now, so it may not show up for a while, but keep checking!

See you over at The Golden Era!

* * *

Teaser:

"Stop!" shouts a man's voice. He sounds as though he is directly behind me. My heart almost stops. I pull my revolver from my pocket and swing my arm out in a wide arc. Our eyes meet for a brief moment. He is one of the well-dressed men. Just slightly taller than I am, with brown hair and brown eyes. Incredibly handsome. He stops running at abruptly as I did.

"I will not harm you." His accent is unrecognizable.

"I would have no trouble harming you." I point the gun to his head.

"I must take you to my master."

"Get the hell away from me." My gun clicks as I pull the hammer back.

* * *

Squee! Go! Go!


End file.
